Zoids: a Bond beyond Steel
by RyuJudge6614
Summary: Several months have passed since the Blitz Team won the royal cup and moved up to S class as legends. But now, a new story begins with an eager new warrior named Sarah Lockhart, only she doesn't have her own zoid partner yet. But things quickly get interesting when she encounters a rare zoid, one thought lost to time.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, it's time for a brand new story, this time going to the Zoids universe. I loved watching them as a kid, and after hearing about a new zoids series coming out (though it doesn't look good in my opinion), I got all nostalgic. This story will take place in the zoids: new century zero universe, several months after the story ended. We'll be seeing characters from the show in here, but it will focus on my own set of OCs. As for the zoid that will become my main OC, Sarah's, partner, I've already got one lined up, along with the rest of her future teammates. Anyway, I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 1. Let's begin.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A New Dawn**

It's been several months since that fateful day. The day that the Blitz Team, first a group of decent zoid pilots that were relatively unknown in some parts, had quickly risen to the top of the zoids battle rankings. Their legend began to spread once they got their new pilot, Bit Cloud, a junk dealer that ended up being able to pilot the zoid known as the Liger Zero. Their ranking went up, their skills improved, and they took down the competition. Even more so, the zoids battle commission owed them a great deal for helping to take down the large-scale criminal organization, the Backdraft Group. After the royal cup ended with the Blitz Team claiming victory and the Backdraft Group being utterly defeated and their plans come crashing down, the ZBC (Zoids battle commission) was able to clean up whatever damages the Backdraft Group made, round up many of the criminal's groups 'clients', and finally secured their control over zoids battles to ensure that fair and honest battles would be held without any more interference. The Blitz Team made it into S class, where only the best of the best can battle…

Sarah Lockhart remembers that day very well. She watched on the TV screens that broadcasted that fateful day. Seeing the battles that took place, especially the fated battle between the Liger Zero and the Berserk Fury, two powerful zoids that displayed incredible intelligence. Sarah had kept anything related to that tournament with her, as a reminder of that day, and why she would also become a zoid warrior as well. Sarah wants to fight epic battles like those ones, to face off against skilled pilots like Jack Cisco of the Lightning Team, Leon Toros of the Fluegel Team, and maybe even one day face off against Bit Cloud of the Blitz Team and his Liger Zero. Luckily for her, that day where she can begin that journey has come…

…

It's late in the morning and Sarah Lockhart has just finished her preparations. Her home, Stonegear town, is the next stop for a moving division of the ZBC. After the royal cup, the ZBC expanded its reach and now have a mobile division on the ground. This division helps spread the excitement of zoid battles, and even offers new zoid warriors a chance to get registered for competition. What's more, local businesses work with this division to help sell zoids, transports, and even other offers. It's the perfect opportunity for Sarah to begin her journey as a new zoid warrior. She had been working a lot of jobs from around the town to help make some money, and she even learned a thing or two about zoids engineering to help her in the future. She also sold some of her own things that she wouldn't be needing since she'll be on the road a lot from now on. Either way, Sarah can't wait. She has the money, she's done the necessary steps to prepare for registration, and she even managed to get a deal for a Gustav transport from an old friend. All she needs is to find a zoid to pilot, and luckily they'll be having a show of some zoids for sale at the event as well.

"Okay, today's the day. Time to get this show on the road," Sarah mutters.

Walking out of her old home, Sarah looks up into the sky with excitement running through her veins. She has long blonde hair, and green eyes with fair complexion. She is wearing her battle outfit for zoids battles. The outfit consists of a sleeveless blue leather turtleneck shirt, and a pair of white shoulder length gloves. She is also wearing a pair of blue short-shorts fitted with garters that connect to a pair of thigh-length white leather boots. Finally, she has on two black belts, one around the waist with the shorts, and the second crossing over it, and a silver oval-shaped belt buckle to finish it She has a few pouches on her belts with a few things. Finally she has on a pair of old dog tags on a silver necklace around her neck. Now that she's all ready to go, Sarah makes her way to the center of town, where the ZBC event is taking place. Along the way, she makes the occasional wave and 'hello' to some of the townsfolk. After a quick run over to the center of town, she finds what she's been looking for. A local zoids research institute that includes zoid repairs, zoids development and customization, and zoids sales. This is the place where the ZBC event will be taking place.

"Yeah, that's the place. Hope the old man didn't oversleep today. I still need his help with getting the Gustav all finished up," Sarah says.

After making it passed the crowd forming around the institute, Sarah makes it inside and heads straight for the registration booth first. As she walks to her goal, she sees all sorts of people doing things in the building. From engineers talking about zoid specs, to junk dealers and sellers trying to make some cash, and even a few zoid pilots from other towns are here as well. However, she pays them little mind as she doesn't want to waste any time. Finally, she finds a booth set up for zoid warrior registration. Approaching the booth, she finds a female ZBC employee at the desk with some equipment.

"Hello, welcome to the Zoids Battle Commission registration station. How may I help you today?" the woman politely asks.

"I'm here to registar as a zoid warrior for zoid battles. I've brought my zoid gear with me, and I've handled the necessary preparations beforehand," Sarah says, pulling out a zoid gear for registration.

"Excellent. Just give me a moment, and lock your zoid gear in our recorder right here. Once I give you your official registration number, input the data into your zoid gear, and that should do it," the woman explains.

"Sure thing," Sarah says as she puts her zoid gear into the recorder on the desk.

The woman types some data in and works out the necessary adjustments, "Alright, your zoid registration number is 09264. Please input the data and that will do it," the woman says.

"Gotcha," Sarah replies and inputs the data into her zoid gear, and a moment later, the process is all complete. "Wow, that was easy," she notes.

"Do you have a zoid at your command at this time?" the woman asks.

"Um, no, not yet," Sarah says.

"Well when you do, please be sure to get it registered as your official zoid to the ZBC. This doesn't need to be done here, but make sure you get it set when you do," the woman explains.

"Okay, I got it. Thanks again," Sarah replies.

"I'd thought I'd find you here. Just couldn't wait for me, could you?" Sarah hears a male's voice and turns around to see an old man with a short gray beard and wearing brown clothing approach her. "But then again, I'm not really surprised. You have been known to work fast from time to time," the old man says.

"Old man Zack. I was wondering where you were. I thought you might have been swallowed by the crowds forming up here," Sarah happily greets him as she walks up to him.

"Heh, you're probably the only person aside from my wife that I'll let call me old," Zack says with a chuckle.

"Listen, thanks again for helping me out with the Gustav. I owe you one," Sarah says.

"Aw, it's no problem at all. You've been a big help to me and my business these last few months. It's the least I could do. Besides, that Gustav used to be mine when I was younger. But, I'm getting too old for travelling these days, and I'd hate to just sell it off to some strangers or have it sit around until it rusts. It's still in good condition, and it'll get you to where you're going. It'll serve you better now than it will me. Just take good care of it, and promise to stop by from time to time, okay?" the old man asks.

"You got it. All that's left is to find the right zoid for me to pilot, and then I'm all set," Sarah notes.

"Well, then you'd better hurry. There's lots of zoids going on sale today because of the event, but they won't last forever. New pilots looking for their first zoid, and veterans in need of a replacement are all over. Better get going. I'll be by your new Gustav so no one tries anything. Just meet me outside when you're ready," Zack says.

"Sure thing. Thanks again," Sarah says.

With that, the two separate with Sarah heading to the west wing of the building where the zoid sales are set up. Once she gets there, she is amazed by the large number of different zoids up for grabs. They have gun snipers, saber fangs, cannon tortoises, pteras bombers, and even a few rare ones like a gojulas out for display and purchase. Sarah walks through the aisles, looking at each and every one, trying to see which one would be the right fit. While yes, there are plenty of zoids here, and any one of them would be a good start for her since she is just a rookie, but that isn't enough for Sarah Lockhart. It had to be right, however, Sarah knows this may be her once chance to get a zoid, so either way, she's getting one and making due with what she's got. Maybe down the road, she'll earn enough money to upgrade to a more proper zoid. Going through the lineup, Sarah finds her hopes starting to dwindle a bit. There are plenty of good zoids here, no doubt there. The issue is that none of them felt…right. And yet, she has to make a choice, or who knows when she'll get a zoid to battle with. She ends up coming across a zoid that she thinks will do for the time being. The zoid is smaller than some, red, and is a tiger-based zoid, the Gun tiger. While it may be small, and an older unit, it still has decent performance, and is fast and agile. Sarah feels at least a small connection to it, so it'll do for now. After making the necessary payments and finishing the paperwork. Sarah has the zoid brought outside to where the old man and her new Gustav are waiting for her. The gustav is like all the others, the only difference being that the shell is painted white instead of red or grey like the other ones.

"Hey old man, everything all set?" Sarah asks as she walks up to him.

"Yep, everything's ready to go," Zack replies and looks at Sarah's choice of zoid. "The gun tiger, huh? Are you sure you want to start out with that one? I'm sure there were others back there that are much stronger," he notes.

"There were…none of them felt right. It wouldn't do if I went into battle with a zoid I can't connect with," Sarah replies.

"Beggars can't be choosers," Zack retorts.

"Hey, I picked one, didn't I? I mean, I can't feel that strong a connection with this one either, but it's better than the others, or none at all. Either way, this Gun Tiger is my zoid now…So, it looks like I'll be heading out now. Gotta get going and be ready for my very first zoid battle," Sarah notes.

"Where are you heading?" Zack asks.

"West. There's another town in that direction. Crest Town. I'll head there first," Sarah replies.

"You're going alone?" Zack asks.

"There's no other zoids pilots in this town, old man. And all the ones that showed up today are already on teams of their own. I'll try and find some zoid pilots in the next town and see if they'd be willing to join my team. I've already taken care of that as well. For now, since it's just me, I'm calling my team the Lockhart Team. But that will probably change once I get some new members," Sarah explains.

"I see…well, just be careful. If you're going in that direction, then you may see Zi Mountain along the way. I've heard some stories about that place. They say some phantom zoid dwells at the top of the mountain, but has never been found. Just rumors and stories though, so I don't pay much attention to them. Also be careful of bandits and thieves on your journey. Your zoid isn't all that rare, or worth much, but they'll be keen to take whatever they can get, by any means possible," Zack explains.

"I will. Thank you…See you next time, old man," Sarah says as she gives him a hug.

The old man returns the gesture, "Of course. Due try to visit every now and again. Take care of yourself, Sarah. And good luck," Zack replies as they separate.

With that, Sarah enters her new Gustav and starts it up. With her Gun Tiger on the flatbed hooked behind it, Sarah heads out to really begin her journey. Luckily for her, Crest town isn't too far away, but it will take her a couple hours before she arrives. After well over an hour with nothing happening so far on her trip, Sarah spots the Zi Mountain that the old man told her about. It isn't anything particularly impressive, aside from being the tallest mountain in the area. And yet, lots of people believe that there is something dwelling there, something that no one has seen. Which is precisely why Sarah doesn't really pay attention to that stuff much. How can there be something living there if no one has seen it with their own eyes. Probably just some people spreading ghost stories for attention. Anyway, after another half an hour of driving, Sarah finally sees the edge of Crest Town. Now, time to see if she can find anyone looking to join her team.

…

After arriving in town and parking her Gustav near the local zoids station there, Sarah makes her way to the town center. There are a few spots here to get a drink and something to eat, and that's the best spot Sarah will find to locate zoid pilots who seek some rest after a long trip. Entering the local pub, a few eyes turn to Sarah as she enters the building, but they quickly go back to their own business. Looking around, Sarah can quickly see a few zoid pilots around. They're not too difficult to pick out due to either the air they give off, or the clothes they're wearing. Sarah can just tell. Of course, finding new recruits is proving to be much more difficult than she thought. Throughout the early afternoon, Sarah has been asking around, looking for other zoid pilots to join her team. However, time and time again, she has come up short. Most of the individuals she's asked were either already on a team, or weren't looking for new members. And some just didn't want to talk to her. Later in the day, Sarah had become exhausted and stopped by the pub she first visited for a quick drink.

Sitting at a table in the back with a hot cup of tea, Sarah just minds her own business, while planning her next move. It's anyone's guess when she'll get the notification from the ZBC on her first battle, and already it looks like she'll be fighting at a disadvantage.

 _"Looks like this is going to be tougher than I thought. If I can't find some teammates, it'll become more difficult to move up the rankings,"_ Sarah thinks before she sighs and sips her tea.

A moment later however, a trio of guys walk up to her table, with two of them standing back while the third stands right next to her.

"Hey there, good-looking," the lead guy says.

Sarah gets a look at him and his buddies and can see that they're all zoid pilots. However, something doesn't feel right about them. One in the back has short black hair, wearing black pants and an orange shirt under a black jacket. The second groupie has dirty blonde, shoulder-length hair, and is wearing a blue leather vest over a gray long-sleeved shirt, along with a pair of camo-pants and combat boots. The one up front, most likely the leader, has short, spikey brown hair, wearing a green jacket over a black shirt, leather pants, brown gloves, and combat boots as well. But Sarah sees he's bad news by the smirk on his face.

"Can I help you?" Sarah tries to be polite, but even that's a challenge at this point.

"I've heard you've been looking for zoids pilots to join your team. How about you come and join our team, sweetheart? This way, the four of us will be able to move up the rankings in no time," the leader says.

"…What kind of zoids do you have?" Sarah asks.

"We've got three Godos zoids. Not much, but with the three of us, and with you if you want, will win enough matches to get some money for better zoids. So what do you say, ready to join the winning team, babe?" the man asks.

His cocky attitude and slightly perverted demeanor makes Sarah want to barf, and she can tell that these guys don't want her on the team just because she's another zoid pilot. So, the answer is obvious…

"Thanks…but no thanks. I'm good," Sarah shoots them down.

The three men are stunned by this, "W-what did you just say?" the boss asks, starting to lose his cool already.

"I may be looking for new teammates, but it's not like I'm desperate. Besides, I do have standards when it comes to my teammates, and you three don't fit the bill. Not to mention, I know why you really came to talk to me. So I'm only going to say this once: beat it," Sarah shoots them down.

The three get angry, with the leader gritting his teeth a bit, "Think you're better than us? I don't think you understand the situation here," the leader says as he reaches for her.

However, the second his hand is about to land on her left arm, Sarah spills her still very warm tea on his hand, and he pulls back, screaming from the burn.

"Oops, clumsy me," Sarah innocently says.

"Why you little-," the guy growls.

Sarah stands up, ready to defend herself or run if need be. However, that plan gets put on hold when a newcomer joins the fun, a tall newcomer standing over a foot higher than Sarah (let's say she's 5'7'' in height). The person is a male with short, white hair, wearing a long coat with a high collar that covers the lower half of his face. He has blue eyes, and his coat is white with red edging. Under the coat is red pants and black boots, and he's wearing black fingerless gloves. The man grabs the leader's shoulder and throws him into his buddies. The trio fall onto the ground and look up at the intimidating figure standing over them, glaring down on them. Their anger turning into fear, the three high-tail it out of there.

"Whoa…um, thanks for the save there, sir," Sarah thanks the man. The man turns to look at her, and she gets a little nervous. "Um, I'm Sarah Lockhart. N-nice to meet you…hopefully," Sarah says, muttering the last part.

"…Pick your fights carefully, kid," the man says and turns to leave.

"Wait, what's your name? I'd like to pay you back for helping me out," Sarah tries to stop him.

"…Sky," the man replies without stopping, and leaves the pub, while Sarah watches him leave.

Well, one thing's for sure. Sarah's journey won't be boring. For good, and for bad.

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 **And that's the first chapter. What do you guys think? For the record, the Gun Tiger is NOT the main zoid that Sarah will be using as her partner. That comes a little later. Sarah Lockhart's journey begins as a zoid warrior, but will she be ready for the challenges that await her down the road? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	2. Chapter 2: First Battle

**Here we are at Chapter 2. Now that all the prologue and preparation stuff from the first chapter is out of the way, let's get really into the story, with Sarah's first zoid battle. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owner. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 2. Enjoy.**

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 **Chapter 2: First Battle**

It's the next day since Sarah's almost brawl in the local pub of Crest Town. Luckily, thanks to that tall stranger, nothing too serious happened. However, Sarah made sure to keep a better eye out, especially for those three morons from before. Her first battle can happen at any time, and she can't afford to make any mistakes. Not when she has just started her journey as a zoid warrior. Currently, Sarah is at her Gustav, working on the combat systems for her Gun Tiger. Making the necessary adjustments before a battle are always essential. Typing away on the computer screen, Sarah adjusts the zoid's systems to her preferred taste. It seems whoever had this zoids last didn't learn how to set these adjustments properly. Luckily, Sarah had the thought to check beforehand, and the knowledge on how to do so.

"Okay…the stabilizers are set…Generator output redistributed across the body. Ion boosters are all green and ready to go…The static magnum doesn't appear to have any issues…Alright, everything is ready to go," Sarah mutters to herself as she finishes up her work.

Shutting down the systems and jumping out of the cockpit in the head, Sarah lands on the ground and takes a good look at her zoid. The Gun Tiger has been tuned for a little boost in speed and mobility. Seeing as how she may be going into battle alone, she can't afford to risk getting her zoid damaged. Thus, an increase in its maneuverability will help lower any chances of taking damage. However, the time to test the adjustments…would have to come later. Sarah gets a beeping sound and pulls out her zoid gear from her left pouch. Checking the message, she sees that her first match has been made.

"Already, but I only just became a warrior yesterday. *Sigh*, no rest for the weary, I suppose. The battle mode is supposed to be…0990. Oh that's great. Aside from some safety rules, it's anything goes, which means I'm going in alone against who knows how many opponents. The location…hmm, seems to be near the mountains and even Zi Mountain. I might be able to use the terrain to my advantage. Who are my opponents?" Sarah wonders as she scrolls through the message entry. She finds out that the team is some rookie team, class C just like her (I don't know what the actual lowest class is, so that'll be the one for the story based on the show). The team name is the Strikers Team, and their zoids consist of… "Three Godos? Wait a minute…" Sarah mutters, and pulls up pictures of three very familiar faces. "It's those jerks from yesterday…Looks like fate has a weird sense of humor…No, now is my chance to cream those jerks. It's because of idiots like that the rest of us true warriors get a bad name. They're using Godos zoids. The Godos is small like my Gun Tiger, but nowhere near as fast or agile. They have some weapons on them: a couple of laser machineguns, a particle laser cannon, their claws, and their tails. It's versatile, but they don't have a lot of armor on them. I'll need to stick to my speed and out-maneuver them to win since it'll be three-on-one," Sarah mutters and then closes her zoid gear.

Sarah takes one last look at her Gun Tiger. Now that she knows who she's going up against, there's no way she can let herself lose. If she loses to punks like those guys, then she has no right to be a zoid warrior. Time to test her mettle.

…

The next day, Sarah drives her Gustav to the designated area for the battle. The area has a part of it being desert, while the rest of it is in the mountains. A wide area, which Sarah can use for her Gun Tiger's speed.

 _"This is it. My first battle. If I can't cut it here, then I won't have much chance making it in this business…No, no use thinking like that. I'm going to fight, and I'm going to win. I won't lose to those morons. Time to show them how zoid warrior is supposed to act,"_ Sarah thinks as she gets closer to the area.

A few minutes later, Sarah reaches the area for the scheduled battle. Exiting her Gustav, Sarah quickly gets into her Gun Tiger and starts it up. She checks all the systems one last time, and then moves the zoid into the field to await her opponents. Focusing in on the monitors, she zooms in to see three Godos some distance across from her. Both teams are set in the desert area of the battlefield. Just then, she gets a call over the comm link and pulls it up, showing the face of the leader of those idiots from the other night.

"Hello, sweetheart. Looks like it's time for some payback for that incident in the pub the other day. We're gonna make you regret messing with us. You should've accepted my offer when you had the chance," the leader threatens her.

"Sticks and stones, bub. You and your little lapdogs willing be crying your eyes out once I've reduced your zoids to pieces. You shouldn't have tried to mess with me back at the pub," Sarah retorts.

"Tough talk from a little girl. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered. This battle won't last long," the leader says.

 _"We'll see about that,"_ Sarah thinks.

A moment later, something big and white crashes onto the battlefield from high up in the sky. A large white cylinder emerges from the smoke, and opens up to reveal the thin, white robot that is the judge for the battlefield.

"Scanning…Scanning…This zone is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personnel must vacate the area immediately. The Strikers Team versus the Lockhart Team. Battle mode 0-9-9-0. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready…Fight!" the judge declares and the battle begins.

The three Godos quickly fire off their machineguns at Sarah. Sarah quickly controls her Gun Tiger to run across the desert and avoid the gunfire. If she tries to charge at them head-on, she'll only get shot full of holes. She needs to play it smart here, and that means heading to the mountain section of the battlefield.

"Don't let her get away," the leader says and they chase after her.

However, the Gun Tiger is far superior in terms of speed and mobility than the Godos, so Sarah quickly makes it to the mountain region of the battlefield ahead of them while avoiding incoming fire. While the area here is nowhere near as tall as Zi Mountain, the area still has other tall mountains and rock formations. Perfect for the Gun Tiger. The three Godos chase it into the area, but quickly lose sight of it as Sarah takes cover behind the terrain.

"Damn it, where'd she go?!" the leader yells in irritation.

"She can't go too far, otherwise she'll be out of the battlefield limits. We should be careful, the terrain here is pretty steep. Not sure how our Godos will handle it," the second member with the short black hair and orange shirt.

"Spread out. Find her," the leader orders them.

The three split up and scope the area, with the leader heading straight north, the second one heading east and the third heading west. The third member, the one with the dirty-blonde hair, looks around as he searches for Sarah. However, the ground where he's at is incredibly rugged, making his Godos stumble a bit. At one point, his Godos almost loses its footing, but he manages to stabilize it. However, at that moment, his radar catches something coming at his left, and from up high. He looks up to see Sarah running along the side of the mountain towards him.

"Looks like you'll be the first one to fall. Lucky you," Sarah notes.

"We'll see about that," her opponent says and fires off his machineguns again at her.

Sarah controls her Gun Tiger to maneuver around the shots as she races towards her opponent. The Godos pilot gets desperate as she gets closer, his shots becoming more wild and unfocused. Unfortunately for him, Sarah doesn't get hit and gets close enough to jump on him, biting down on its left arm with the Gun Tiger's fangs and claw at its front with her left claws. The force of the attack rips the Godos' left arm off its body as it crashes into the ground with the Gun Tiger standing on top of it. Inside the cockpit, the pilot tries to get it back up, only to have his system freeze and shut down, signaling his time in the fight has ended.

"Arrgh, you gotta be kidding me!" the pilot yells.

"Registration number 11257…Out of the battle," the judge calls out.

Back with the guy's teammates, they hear the news over the comm-links.

"What, how'd she get to one of us that quickly?!" the leader yells.

"She must've ambushed him. Damn it!" his remaining teammate adds.

"Alright, one down, two to go. Let's go, Gun Tiger," Sarah says before her zoid roars and then runs back into the mountains to go after her remaining opponents.

"Boss, what should we do?" the lackey asks.

"Link back up. If we try to take her on one-on-one out here, we'll get creamed," the leader says.

The two remaining Godos move to rendezvous back to where they separated earlier, all the while, the pilots keep their eyes peeled for Sarah. While they try to get back together, Sarah runs through the mountains, wanting to take them out before they link up. With one down, her chances of winning have increased, but she can't get overconfident considering she still has a disadvantage in numbers and weaponry. A couple minutes later, the two Godos come into visual contact with one another. They think they're in the clear now, only for their radars to start beeping off. They look north to see Sarah and her Gun Tiger come into view.

"Ah, crap, got here a little late," Sarah mutters.

"Get here!" the leader yells and the two fire off their weapons.

The Gun Tiger runs around them, keeping its distance and avoiding their gunfire. One of the rounds manages to hit the Gun Tiger in its right side, but the damage appears to be minor, though it shook up Sarah a bit. Deciding to go back on the offensive, Sarah hits the controls and makes her Gun Tiger spin to a stop and fold its head down to reveal its static magnum gun. Taking her aim, a few more shots hit the Gun Tiger, but Sarah braves through them until she locks on to her target and fires a precise shot at the second Godos. The shot blasts through the joint connecting its right leg to the body, separating it and causing the Godos to fall onto the ground. Its system freezes up, leaving only the leader left on his team.

"What? She must've gotten a lucky shot!" the second lackey says.

"Registration umber 11256…Out of the battle," the judge says.

"Arrgh, fine! I'll just take her down myself," the leader growls and fire off his particle beam guns this time at Sarah.

"Gotta get moving," Sarah notes and has her Gun Tiger run along the terrain to evade the enemy fire.

The last Godos runs after her, still firing off its guns. While Sarah could just run back into the mountains for cover, she figures the leader won't be that stupid now that both of his allies have been taken out. And she can't just draw out the battle either. That's not really her style. That only leaves one option, which is both risky and a little stupid. Sarah turns her Gun Tiger around and has it run straight at her last opponent. The Godos charges at her as well, firing off its machineguns this time. Sarah pulls back her controls to activate the ion boosters in the Tiger's back, giving her a boost in speed as she approaches her opponent while avoiding the gunfire. As she gets closer, a couple rounds hit her zoid, but it's still standing and she gets close enough to jump into the air and land on her opponent. The attack pushes the Godos on the ground while she jumps off of it to land behind her opponent. The attack isn't enough to make its system freeze up though, so for good measure, she fires off a few magnum shots at its chest, this time stopping it for good.

"Registration number 11255…Out of the battle," the judge says and then the bell sounds off. "Battle over. Battle over. The winner is…the Lockhart Team," the judge announces.

"Yes, I did it! My first battle and my first victory!" Sarah cheers.

Meanwhile, the leader of the losing team is livid, "Arrgh! How did she beat us?! It was three against one!" he yells.

"Lockhart Team…congratulations on your victory. Farewell, and until the next time we meet," the judge says before its capsule closes and shoots back up into the sky.

…

Back in Crest town, people were watching on screens in the pub on the battle. Each were making their own opinions, from giving a thumbs up on Sarah's victory, to critiquing the battle, to either winning or losing a bet. However, one individual just watches in silence. The same man that helped Sarah out the other night.

"Huh, not bad for a rookie, don't you think?" the man looks down to a young boy standing next to him, in his early teens. The boy has a pair of black goggles on his forehead, spikey red hair, and is wearing a white vest over a long-sleeved black shirt, and brown shorts and shoes. "Too bad that Gun Tiger got a little damaged. That chick needs to be more careful. Uh, what do you think, big bro?" he asks the taller man.

"She's a rookie. That's all," the man says before he walks away.

"Still a man of few words, I see. H-Hey, wait for me!" the boy yells before running to catch up to him.

…

Back at the battlefield, Sarah controls her Gun Tiger and moves it back onto the flatbed behind her Gustav. Shutting it down, she hops out to get a better look at the damage to her zoid. The armor shows damage on the left shoulder armor, the right side, and a little more damage on the main body. Honestly, she's surprised it's still operational. While the prize money she'll get from this battle will help, it looks like it'll cost at least have of it to repair the damages.

Sarah sighs, "Guess I'd better be more cautious next time. I keep going like this, and I'll lose my only zoid before I can get up to class B. And that won't be for a little while. Well it could be worse," she laments.

Deciding to head back to Crest town for repairs and some rest, Sarah gets into her Gustav and heads back to town. However, up near Zi Mountain, a large shadowy figure stands on a cliffside, having watched the battle. All that's seen are a pair of glowing red eyes, and all that's heard is a low, mechanical growl.

…

Later that day, Sarah gets back to town and immediately heads to the zoids institute there for repairs. The prize money had already been transferred to her account after she won, and luckily there is more than enough for repairs. While her zoid is getting repaired, Sarah checks over the ZBC data to see how many battles she'll need to win in order to move up a grade.

"Let's see, looks like I'll need to win a few more battles to move up a class. However, as I move up each class, the number of battle victories needed to move up will only increase. If I play my cards right, and be more cautious in my battles, I'll be able to save up some cash. Then I can trade in the Gun Tiger for something stronger. Sounds like a plan," Sarah mutters.

The repairs will take a little while, so Sarah heads over to the pub for a quick bite and a drink after a hard-fought battle. While in the pub, Sarah notices one of the TV screens is showing a battle involving the Fluegel Team. This gets her interested as she watches Leon Toros and his red Blade Liger run across the desert with its blades out. A few seconds later, the blades slice off the left front and hind legs of a Gordos zoid. Far behind him, Sarah sees Naomi Fluedel and her custom Gun Sniper, with its sniper cannon set up, take out a second Gordos with one precise shot. Apparently, there was a third Gordos, but Leon had already taken it out before Sarah noticed. The battle ends with a victory for the Fluegel Team, not that Sarah is surprised by it much. Both pilots are incredibly skilled and their zoids are customized and very powerful. Hopefully one day, Sarah will get the chance to battle them.

"Chock another win for the Fluegels," she hears one male patron note from a few tables down.

"Yeah, ever since Naomi teamed up with Leon Toros, she doesn't do her usual showdown matches anymore, nor does she go recruiting rookie zoid warriors for those battles. Not that it's hurt her winning streak through. When the next Royal Cup comes around, they'll be one of the favorites to win. They only time they've lost was against the Blitz Team. But, they're in class S now, so there's little chance of them stopping now," a second patron agrees.

 _"Fluegel Team…Blitz Team…Someday, I'll be the one these people will be talking about…Probably shouldn't be thinking about that until after I get into class A though…"_ Sarah thinks before returning to her drink.

After that, Sarah returns to the zoids institute to collect her zoid. The Gun Tiger has been fully repaired, and ready for the next battle. After paying the fee, Sarah sees that the sun is starting to go down, so she decides to stay the night in town and head out the next day. With her battle won here, it's time to head to the next town for her next battle. However, what she doesn't notice is as she's walking away, the three goons from her battle are watching from the shadows.

"No one messes with us and gets away with it. That girl is gonna pay," the leader mutters.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. I don't know how much prize money they win in each battle, so I'll leave the amount to your imaginations for the time being. Sarah has won her first battle, but it seems the losing team aren't happy about that. Meanwhile, it seems Sarah had an unknown watcher overseeing her battle. What awaits Sarah in the future? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	3. Chapter 3: Unknown Savior

**Here we are at Chapter 3. Time for the first signs of what will become Sarah Lockhart's true zoid partner. Just so you guys know, the zoid that will be Sarah's partner is not one seen in the anime series. However, the original version of it was though. However, it is a zoid used in a CG promotional video for the zoids franchise, but I won't say. Anyway, I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owner. Here's chapter 3. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Unknown Savior**

A day has passed since Sarah's victory in her first zoids battle. As soon as the sun started reaching into the sky, Sarah went to the zoids institute to check on her Gun Tiger. When she gets there and speaks with the workers, she finds that her Gun tiger has been fully repaired and is ready to go. Happy to have her zoid back, Sarah gets it hitched back up with her Gustav to prepare for her journey. However, there's no use in continuing on her journey while on an empty stomach. Time for a quick breakfast.

At the local pub, Sarah is having breakfast while going over data on her zoid gear, checking out potential opponents for her next round.

"…Let's see…the Alpha Team, with a group of Rev Raptors…the Tri-horn Team with a trio of Red Horns…then we have other teams with Dimetrodons, Sinkers, huh, even one team that has a pair of command wolves on their team…Any one of them could be my next opponent…And my Gun Tiger alone won't be enough…Unless I can find people to join my team, I'll be in trouble. I could always hire mercenaries, but I don't have that kind of cash right now. I need to be conservative with my prize money until I get more wins in, and that means I need to be more careful in my next round of fights. So, I guess I'll have to try to find someone in the next town…" Sarah mutters to herself while munching on a sandwich. However, her focus soon changes when a young boy with spikey red hair and goggles peeks over her shoulder to look at her zoid gear, and gets her attention. "…Um…can I help you?" she tentatively asks.

"Checking out the competition, huh? You certainly don't waste time. I like that," the kid replies, completely disregarding the girl's question and personal space. However, that changes when the kid is pulled away and then slapped on the head by a familiar face. "Ow, what did I do?!" the boy yells.

"You were being rude," the man with the long white and red coat from the other day says.

"How was I being rude?" the boy asks.

"Hey, you're the guy from the other day. I never did get your name," Sarah says.

"Sky," the man replies.

"Sky? That's your name?" Sarah replies.

"Don't mind him. My big brother here is a man of few words. His name is Sky Faust, and I'm his younger brother, Rick, though most just call me Rickie. Nice to meet ya," Rick replies with a big smile.

"Um…nice to meet you. My name's Sarah Lockhart," Sarah introduces herself.

"Yeah, we know who you are. We watched your battle the other day on the big screen here. You got your Gun Tiger pretty damaged in that battle. You should really be more careful when you pilot it, especially when you're outnumbered. The Gun Tiger maybe an older model, but you need to take better care of it," Rick notes about her battle.

"S-sorry…I think," Sarah says.

Sky slaps his brother's head again, "Ow!" Rick yells while holding his head.

"Forgive him. He's an idiot sometimes," Sky says.

"Hey!" Rick retorts.

"Be more careful in your battles. That's what he meant to say," Sky says.

"Oh, I see…That that's good to know. Hey, you guys are zoid warriors too, right?" she asks.

"Well, big bro is, but I'm not. They call him 'Sky fire' for how he fights and the zoid he pilots. I'm just an aspiring zoids engineer, helping to keep his zoid maintained and in top condition. Why?" Rick asks.

"I've been looking for people to join my team, but haven't had much luck so far. If you're a zoid warrior, how would you feel about joining my team?" Sarah asks.

"No thanks," Sky replies.

"What he means to say is, that we appreciate the offer, but we're already on another team. They're just not here right now. Also, our team just got into class B. You're in class C, so we couldn't join anyway. But, good luck on finding someone to join your team. You might have better luck in the next town. It's called Gale Town I believe, past Zi Mountain and fifty miles east from there. I hear there are some rookie pilots over there looking for new teams. You may want to try there," Rick informs her.

"I see. Well, thanks for the info," Sarah thanks them.

"No problem. Well, we'd better get going. See you around and good luck in your next battle," Rick says before he and his older brother take their leave.

Sarah goes back to her work, but as they're leaving the pub and heading outside, Sky notices a few guys looking through the windows of the pub. The same guys that Sarah just beat. However, when they notice him staring at them they all beat it fast. Sky narrows his eyes, thinking that something is up before he and Rick leave completely.

…

Later that day, Sarah is already packed up and heading out from Crest Town, with her destination being this Gale Town that Rick spoke about. Driving her Gustav through the desert, she can see Zi Mountain approaching. From there, it's a long drive east to the next town.

 _"At least this won't be a hard drive,"_ Sarah notes. However, as she's driving, explosions suddenly start ringing out all around her, shaking her Gustav. "Ah! What's going on?!" she yells in shock.

"Surprise, surprise," she hears over the comms and pulls up the screen to see the face of the leader of the morons she beat the other day. "Miss me, little girl?" he taunts her with a smug grin.

"Oh, it's you morons. What the Hell do you think you're doing?!" Sarah retorts.

"This is payback for the other day. You humiliated us in that battle, and that just can't stand. So now, we're gonna blow you and your zoid to bits," the leader replies before he and one of his allies start firing off more shots at her.

While trying to evade their fire, Sarah sees that their three Godos have been repaired for the most part, and are coming at her from the east and the rear. With the extra weight she's carrying, Sarah will be hard-pressed to outrun these guys, and unless they stop firing on her for a few minutes, she won't be able to get into her Gun Tiger and take them out.

"Damn it, if only I could get into my Gun Tiger. I'll have to try and lose them in the mountains. It's my only chance," Sarah mutters before she guns it and heads for Zi Mountain.

The two goons continue firing their machineguns while chasing her and are slowly gaining ground. The Gustav is able to take the hits, but a few shots hit Sarah's Gun Tiger, so she tries to weave through the shots, but the Gustav was never designed to be a mobile zoid. Soon enough, Sarah enters the mountains, hoping to use the terrain to give her some cover and lose these guys.

"Alright, if I can find some cover, I can get into my Gun Tiger. Come on, come on," Sarah says as she pushes her Gustav to its limits. However, more shots ring out, but this time from up above and hit all around her. "Ahhh!" Sarah screams from the attack.

Looking up, Sarah sees the third crony sitting higher up on the mountain side, waiting for her to come by and ambush her. The shots continue to ring out from above and behind, and at one point, a big explosion rocks Sarah and her Gustav off the roadway and down the mountainside. Tumbling down until she hits the ground. Sarah grits her teeth from the bumpy ride. She tries to get moving again, only to realize that her Gustav has fallen onto its side and is unable to move.

"Crap. I need to move now!" Sarah says before she gets out and tries to get into her Gun Tiger, which had fallen onto its side as well.

"Oh, no you don't!" the leader shouts before firing off some shots from above at her zoid, heavily damaging it.

"No!" Sarah shouts.

"Nothing's gonna save you from me now, little girl!" the leader shouts. With no zoid to pilot, and her Gustav out of commission, Sarah has no choice but to make a run for it on her own two feet. "That's right, keep running!" the leader shouts.

"Um, boss, don't you think we've done enough now? I mean, her zoid is trashed and she's scared beyond belief," the blonde asks.

"Y-yeah, if we go any further, there may be an investigation. If that happens, we'll be in trouble," the black-haired one says.

"Just shut up. I'm not done yet. After her!" the leader yells and they jump down after her.

Sarah runs for her life as she tries to find some place to hide from her attackers. From a distance away, a large, shadowy figure watches the spectacle before growling and moving out of sight. Back with Sarah, she keeps running but she can hear the Godos catching up to her. She knows she can't outrun them, but it's better than doing nothing and getting blasted.

 _"I have to find a place to hide and wait them out. I can't have my journey end right after it begins. I won't allow it!"_ Sarah thinks as she keeps running.

"There you are," she hears behind her before she gets blown away by a nearby explosion. Sarah goes flying before she hits the ground hard on her side, and looks up to see the three Godos stalking towards her. "Looks like it's the end of the line, little girl," the leader says before he fires off another shot, hitting the ground her hear and blowing Sarah into the mountain side.

Sarah is really hurt now, and can only barely look up to see her attackers standing near her.

"Look boss, I really think we should leave now. She's learned her lesson," the blonde member pleads.

"Yeah, let's just go already," his partner adds.

"No, I'm not done yet! Not until she's history," the leader seethes with a maniacal grin.

Sarah looks on, unable to do anything but wait and watch as the leader aims his guns at her.

 _"I can't believe…that this is how it ends,"_ Sarah sadly thinks.

However, a sudden blast of particle energy shoots out from above and flies over Sarah, blasting right through the Godos' left side, piloted by the blonde-haired member of the team. The pilot's cockpit is alright for the most part, but the zoid falls onto the ground as it's missing most of its left side.

"What the-?! What's going on?!" the leader yells.

Sarah hears something roar behind her, but her vision starts to fade as she sees something big and dark-colored jump over her and attack the remaining two Godos. She hears the pilots' screams as the second crony's Godos gets sliced in half by some kind of large blade weapon. The leader tries to run away, only for a pair of large blades to swing down and slice off both of his zoid's arms and legs, making it crash down onto the ground. Sarah can barely keep her eyes open as she looks up and sees a large zoid, the sun gleaming behind it and cascading its body in shadows, walk towards her, seeing it walking on two legs. The last thing she sees before she blacks out is a pair of red eyes starting right back at her.

…

Sarah has no idea how much time has passed since she blacked out, but she groans a bit before she finally has the strength to slowly open her eyes. Seeing a lighted ceiling above her, she turns her head to look around, finding herself in a medical room rather than the mountain range in the hot sun that remembers being in a short while ago. She looks down to see herself mostly covered in bed sheets.

"Oh, you're awake. It's about time, sleepyhead," she hears and looks left to see Rick sitting in a chair, eating some jello. Her jello, specifically. "I was wondering if you were ever gonna wake up. How do you feel?" he asks.

Sarah groans and puts a hand to her head, feeling some bandages wrapped around it, and then feels a bandage on her left cheek.

"Honestly, I've felt better. What happened?" Sarah asks, but then her memory starts working again, and she gasps. "My zoid – agh!" Sarah says as she goes to sit up, only to regret it after feeling some pain in her abdomen, and she clutches it.

"Hey, careful. You took some bad hits. You need to rest right now," Rick says as he stands up and helps her back to a resting position.

"What happened?" Sarah asks again.

"That's what we want to know," she hears and looks up to see Sky leaning against the doorway.

"Were you guys the ones that found me?" Sarah asks.

"Yeah, we did. Lucky we did, otherwise who knows what would've happened," Rick notes.

"So, you saved me from those goons from earlier?" Sarah asks again.

"Um, what are you talking about?" Rick asks, confused.

"I was travelling to Gale Town, like you suggested, but then those jerks from my battle ambushed me. I tried to escape so I could get into my Gun Tiger and kick their butts, but they were waiting for me and set up a trap. I got blown off the side of a mountain, and was forced to flee on foot after they damaged my zoid and tipped over my Gustav. However, they shot at me and I got hurt. I thought it was over…but then some unknown zoid came out of nowhere and rips them apart, saving me. Then I blacked out and the next thing I know, I'm waking up here. Where is here again?" Sarah asks.

"The local medical center in Crest Town. You see, Big Bro over there noticed those creeps spying on you earlier and so he wanted to look into it. Later on, we went off searching for them, only to find you left out in the middle of the desert. We brought you back here and then went back to the mountains and found those idiots, all unconscious. We got the leader to spill his guts, and he and his group were taken by the authorities. For their actions, they've been banned from zoid battles for life and are even facing jail time, lots of it. The ZBC also agreed to pay for your med fees here and for the Gustav. Luckily, the Gustav was built tough, and only had minor damage. Unfortunately, your Gun Tiger was beyond help. I'm sorry, but it's no better than scrap now," Rick explains.

Sarah looks sad at hearing that her zoid was destroyed. To think that she would lose her first and only zoid so quickly in her journey. And sadly, she doesn't have enough money to get another one right now.

"Something left you in the desert," Sky notes.

"Huh?" Sarah asks confused.

"You said that you were saved by a zoid, but it wasn't us. My guess is that someone saw you in trouble, saved you and then carried you only until he saw us and left you for us to pick up. We didn't see what zoid they were piloting, but whatever it was, it was fast and it had two feet from the footprints we found near you. You were really lucky," Rick explains.

"Rick, we're leaving," Sky notes and leaves the room.

"Oh, right behind ya, big bro. Listen, don't get so down. You're not down and out yet. Good luck on finding another zoid, and good luck in your next battle. I'll be rooting for ya. Take care," Rick says before leaving to catch up to his brother.

Sarah watches them leave and then sighs before looking out the window of her room. A zoid saved her from a gruesome fate. She can't remember clearly what it looked like due to the sun's light darkening its figure from behind, but she can never forget those eyes. Bright, glowing red eyes that felt as though they were inspecting every inch of her and even looking into her soul. There was a sense of animosity from those eyes, but at the same time, there was…curiosity? It felt that way to Sarah.

 _"Could it have been…that phantom zoid the old man told me about? The one that is said to live on Zi Mountain? But, that was just a story…right?"_ Sarah wonders before deciding to get some rest before figuring out her next move.

…

After a couple of days, Sarah's injuries have fully healed and she is back on her feet. Leaving the medical center, Sarah goes and eventually finds her Gustav at the zoids institute. They repaired it and the repairs were paid for by the ZBC as an apology for what happened. They wanted to better promote the zoid battles so new pilot like her would join, only for her to almost get killed by some people that didn't deserve to be called zoid warriors. But now, Sarah faces a new problem. She looks over the remains of her Gun Tiger and sees that is indeed beyond help. The ion boosters as trashed, the armor is in tatters, and the frame has heavy damage. Sarah does have some money left over from her victory, but it's not enough to fix all of this.

 _"How am I supposed to go into battle now without a zoid?"_ Sarah thinks before sighing and leaves the building for a moment.

Walking outside, Sarah looks around, and then her gaze turns back to Zi Mountain. Staring at it for some time, Sarah suddenly gets a determined and serious look in her eyes.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah survives a deadly encounter thanks to the timely intervention of an unknown zoid, but what kind of zoid was it? Sarah's Gun Tiger is gone, so what will she do now? Who knows what will happen next? Until then, please Read and Review.**

 **Also, I will be starting a new job tomorrow, so my updates will not be as frequent. But I will try to get them updated ASAP. Thank you for your understanding.**


	4. Chapter 4: Partners

**Here we are at Chapter 4. A few people have been guessing as to what the mystery zoid is, and one of you guessed right. Time to see what that zoid is. I do not own zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 4. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Partners**

Taking her Gustav out, Sarah heads out of Crest Town, with only one destination in mind. Zi Mountain. With her Gun Tiger gone, money a little low, and with no backup zoid, Sarah is low on options for looking for a new zoid to pilot. Of course, her chosen plan right now is a long shot. She was just about passed out when something saved her from those goons a few days ago. And yet, something DID save her. But that begs another question: why? Why save her from those jerks? Whoever saved her didn't know her, didn't owe her anything. It's not like she wouldn't repay them, but how could she do that exactly? Still, all this brooding over it will not help her situation in the slightest. Her mysterious savior helped her near Zi Mountain, so she'll just have to start her search there.

 _"If it was a passing zoid warrior that helped me on a whim, then my chance of finding them are already low. But if it's what I'm thinking, what I'm hoping it is, then maybe they'll still be around. But if I can't scrounge something up here, then I'm in real trouble for my next zoid battle,"_ Sarah wonders.

Driving through the desert, Sarah sees Zi Mountain coming up, and so does a little of her anxiety. Moving through the mountain range, she finds the leftover signs of combat, her run-in with those goons from before. Once she gets to a point where her Gustav can't really drive through, Sarah pulls over and gets out to go the rest of the way on foot. Sarah walks through the rocky area, down the way, finding a few zoid parts lying around. Eventually, she finds the remains of three totaled Godos zoids. Sarah looks around each metal body, inspecting the damages and looking for signs of what reduced them to this sorry state. Sarah checks out the first one, seeing how most of its left side is gone, and then looks at the other two, seeing that they were indeed taken down by a blade-type weapon. All the while, Sarah doesn't notice something looking down at her from high up before turning away a moment later. Sarah then looks up, remembering that this mystery zoid jumped over her after attacking from above.

 _"Well, time to get climbing,"_ Sarah thinks before she walks up and starts climbing the mountain side.

Taking her time as she ascends the rock-side, Sarah slowly climbs up, regretting that she didn't bring any climbing equipment with her. Once she gets on top of one rock formation, she continues on, searching for anything that could point out her savior. So far though, nothing. Sighing, Sarah continues her search. Climbing even higher, Sarah starts to sweat a bit from the workout in the hot sun.

 _"I hope I can find this stupid thing soon. This is ridiculous,"_ Sarah thinks as she reaches the top of another mountain. "If you're hearing me, please give me a sign or something. Anything," Sarah mutters.

Just then, she hears a loud roar above her and looks up to see something big and dark-colored on the side of a higher formation above her. Suddenly, the figure jumps up and falls until it lands right in front of her, sending out a shockwave that nearly blows Sarah off the side of the mountain. Once the dust settles, Sarah can finally see what landed in front of her. It is indeed large, much larger than the Godos or even her old Gun Tiger. Two legs and a pair of arms with strike claws on them. The body is dark blue with the smaller sections being silver and red eyes just like she remembered. On its back is a backpack weapon, equipped with a pair of large Vernier thrusters and what looks to be a pair of large electromagnetic blades on a pair of sub-arms. On its head appears to be a silver helmet, though it's off the head at the moment, and a small, single-edged red charging blade.

Sarah's eyes widen in shock, "It's a Geno Saurer…no, that's not it…It's a Geno Ritter. But how? Geno Saurers are incredibly rare, with only a small number left around, but Geno Ritters…They should be gone completely. Incredible…" Sarah mutters. The Geno Ritter stares down at Sarah, growling lowly, and making her a little nervous. "Uh, hey there big guy, remember me? You saved me a few days ago from those jerks in the three Godos. I, uh, wanted to thank you for that, so…" Sarah begins, until the Geno Ritter suddenly roars at her, making her silent.

The Geno Ritter has its head armor fold down along with its head blade. It then engages its blades, the sub-arms moving around until the tips of the blades are aimed at her, and it growls at her again. Sarah starts to get scared now. Here, she thought that maybe she could get this guy to help her out. Now, she may be lucky if it'll let her leave the area alive. Her mind going into overdrive as the blades appear to get closer, Sarah looks around, seeing any possible escape route, and then looking back down to the destroyed Godos' down below. Deciding to take a stab in the dark, Sarah takes a big risk.

"Look, I can only guess that you don't like people running around in your territory. I can understand if that's the reason you took those guys in the Godos down, but then what about me? You could've left me among the rocks and be on your way, but you didn't. You carried me away long enough for others to find me and made sure I was still alive. There was no reason, nor nothing to gain from doing that…But you still helped me," Sarah says, and the Geno Ritter pulls its blades back a bit. "If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say you were curious. That's what it felt like to me. Maybe, just maybe, you wanted to see what it could be like to partner up with someone like me. Maybe travel the land and go into battle, rather than just sitting around here doing nothing. I lost my zoid, and my next battle will be coming up soon, and I could use a new partner. So I ask you, Geno Ritter…will you fight with me? Will you be my partner?" Sarah asks.

The Geno Ritter remains steady, as if contemplating its decision to her request. However, a moment later, it retracts its blades back onto its back and Sarah smiles, thinking it's agreeing with her. Unfortunately, it suddenly engages its foot-locks and opens up the armor on its tail. Sarah loses her smiles as that can only mean one thing: it's about to engage its charged particle cannon, and it looks like she's the intended target. The Geno Ritter straightens out its body and opens up its mouth, engaging the gun mechanism of the cannon. For a moment, Sarah is actually scared. Here she is, having narrowly avoided death a few days ago and now she's right back in the think of it. But, once more Sarah takes a leap of faith and smiles a little bit.

"You're not going to kill me. If you wanted to, you could've killed me days ago, or even when I was looking around for you earlier. You can try to be vicious all you want, but I can see right through you. You're kinder than you appear to be," Sarah says and holds out her arms to the zoid. "It's okay. I don't know why you don't seem to like people much, but I can promise you, it'll be alright if you stick with me. Come on Geno Ritter…let's be partners," Sarah asks.

The Geno Ritter charges up its particle cannon for a moment, about to fire and reduce Sarah to ashes, but Sarah remains motionless, still holding her arms out to it. Surprised by her calm demeanor and courage, the zoid disengages its cannon and its head armor, and eases up its stance. The Geno Ritter steps closer to her and leans down close to her. Sarah smiles a little more and raises her hands to its nose, lightly petting it. The Geno Ritter makes a sound, almost like its purring from the contact. The Geno Ritter moves its head up and then opens up the cockpit in its chest.

"…I knew I could trust you, Geno Ritter," Sarah says and moves to get into the cockpit. The door closes and Sarah gets settled in. Feeling around the controls, Sarah feels something different about it from her old Gun Tiger. It feels…right. The connection feels more real than before. "Alright then, let's get going…partner," Sarah says.

…

After getting back to her Gustav and getting the Geno Ritter onboard (with some persuading from Sarah), Sarah gets back on the road to Gale Town like she originally planned. During the drive however, she gets a message from the ZBC on her zoid gear.

"Huh, the battle commission…No way, my next battle is tomorrow?! And my opponent is…the Alpha Team. They have a group of Rev Raptors. The battle mode is 0-9-9-0, which means I'll be going in against all four of them by myself…," Sarah mutters, a little worried, but then hears her Geno Ritter roar behind her, seemingly able to sense her anxiety. Sarah then smiles, "It doesn't matter. We'll take them down together, right Geno?" Sarah asks, and the Geno Ritter roars in agreement.

The pair continue on their way and a few more hours later, it starts to get dark out so Sarah has no choice but to set up camp for the night. She's almost reached Gale Town, but the battle will take place tomorrow morning, and she's closer to the battle destination. Setting up an old flame lamp outside her Gustav, Sarah has a quick meal of some instant noodles (what, money's a little tight right now, and it's quick and easy to make).

"Tomorrow will be our first battle together. What do you think about that, Geno Ritter?" Sarah asks her partner. The Geno Ritter roars in reply. "Yeah, it'll definitely be exciting. I'm sure the other team will be surprised when they see you on the field," Sarah says before she gets up and walks to the zoid. The Geno Ritter lowers its head and she pets its nose. "We'll show them how awesome you are. Listen, I never got a chance to properly say so before, so…thank you, for saving my life earlier. I owe you big time," she says and the Geno Ritter roars in reply. "Well, let's get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow," she says, but then the Geno Ritter opens up its cockpit. "Huh? You want me to sleep in your cockpit. Um, okay," Sarah agrees. A few minutes later, she's all settled in in the Geno Ritter's cockpit. "Well, it's not too bad. Goodnight, Geno Ritter," Sarah says before falling asleep.

…

The next day, Sarah is up and early, already on the road to the battle coordinates. Though she's already been in one battle before, she's still a little nervous. However, that wouldn't be fair to the Geno Ritter, so she has to remain confident. Luckily, she got her zoid registered with her zoid gear, but since that was done kind of last minute, the other team won't know about it just yet, which gives her the advantage. The Rev Raptors are lightweight and have good speed and mobility, as well as being designed primarily for close combat. Still, they don't have a lot of armor, and the Geno Ritter has far greater speed and armor. But just in case, Sarah knows to be more careful with her piloting. Don't want the Geno Ritter to get damaged like with her former Gun Tiger. However, the Geno Ritter is faster and more mobile than the Gun Tiger, so she should have an easier time with that.

Soon enough, she reaches the area for the battle: nothing but open desert. No means of cover out here, but then again, Geno doesn't feel like the type to run and hide from an opponent in battle. Halting the Gustav outside the battlefield limits, Sarah gets out and gets into her Geno Ritter. The Geno Ritter roars before Sarah starts controlling it and heads for the battle. A few minutes later, she arrives and finds four Rev Raptors waiting for her, but sees them all looking a little spooked.

"What the Hell is going on?! What kind of zoid is that?!" one member yells.

"I thought she was just a rookie with a Gun Tiger? How'd she get a zoid like that?" another says.

"It doesn't matter what zoid she uses. It's still four of us against just her. We still have the advantage here. Just stay focused. Units two and three, focus on firing from a distance. Unit four, you're with me. We'll get in close and slice that zoid to pieces," the leader gets a hold of his team.

Just then, the judge capsule crashes onto the battlefield and opens up to reveal the judge.

"Scanning…Scanning…This zone is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personnel must vacate the area immediately. The Alpha Team versus the Lockhart Team. Battle mode 0-9-9-0. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready…Fight!" the judge declares and the battle begins.

Two of the Rev Raptors fire off their beam cannons at Sarah, but Sarah engages the thrusters in the Geno Ritter's legs and on its back, followed by the wings on its legs. The Geno Ritter soars across the desert floor, easily avoiding the shots fired at her and spooking her opponents.

"How is something that big moving that fast!" Unit two says.

"Just keep firing!" Unit three yells and they keep firing.

The other two try to chase Sarah down, but they can't match the Geno Ritter's speed.

"Incredible, this speed, this mobility. I've never felt anything like it. It's even faster than the Gun Tiger. Alright, let's take this fight to them, Geno Ritter!" Sarah says.

The Geno Ritter roars and engages its head armor and head blade. It then activates its main blades. The Geno Ritter races across the desert sand as it nears the first two Rev Raptors. The two opponents keep firing at her, but Sarah maneuvers her zoid around each shot, finding the Geno Ritter's reaction speed far greater than the Gun Tiger's. When she gets close, the Geno Ritter swings its right blade at one Rev Raptor, slicing off its right leg and right arm, taking it down. The other Rev Raptor manages to dodge the other blade by a hair, but Sarah has her zoid make a quick 180 and goes back at it. The Rev Raptor engages its scythe blades and charges at her, but when the two blade weapons meet, the Geno Ritter's left blade slices right through the Rev Raptor's left scythe blade. Sarah follows it up by swinging her right blade around to cut off the opponent's left leg and tail, sending it to the ground and out of the battle.

"She's already taken out two of us in a matter of seconds. I can't believe how powerful that thing is," The leader notes.

Sarah looks back to see the two remaining Rev Raptors coming at her from the rear, firing off their beam cannons as they get closer.

"Let's get moving, Geno," Sarah says.

The Geno uses its thrusters again and flies towards their opponents. The one with the leader engages its blades while the leader pairs off and continues its suppressive fire. However, the Geno Ritter dodges the beam fire and then jumps up into the sky. The second Rev Raptor looks up, only to see the Geno Ritter land on top of it. The Geno's feet crush one of the blades and damages the Rev Raptor's main body. It then picks it up by the neck in its jaws and throws it at the leader, crashing into it and knocking them both into the ground.

"Let's finish this, partner," Sarah mutters. The Geno Ritter engages its foot locks and opens up the vents on its tail. Opening its mouth, the Geno Ritter charges up its particle cannon. The two Rev Raptors stagger back to their feet and look, only to see the Geno Ritter ready to fire. "Fire!" Sarah shouts.

The Geno Ritter fires its charged particle cannon at its opponents. The attack hits the ground right in front of them, with the explosion and shockwave sending the two raptors flying and crashing onto the ground, their systems freezing from the impact. With that, the battle is over as the busser goes off.

"Battle is over. Battle is over. The winner is…the Lockhart Team," the judge declares.

Sarah smiles brightly at the announcement, "We did it. Oh yeah, you were awesome out there, Geno Ritter. You're the best partner a girl could ask for," she cheers.

The Geno Ritter roars into the sky in agreement. Little did Sarah know though, that as soon as she showed up on the battlefield with her new zoid, people in towns all over got tuned in to watch her battle take place, including some of the best zoid warriors around.

…

At a local hangout for zoid warriors, Leon Toros and Naomi Fluegel watched the battle.

"Huh, I've never seen a Geno Saurer like that before," Naomi notes.

"That's because it's a Geno Ritter, a Geno Saurer with some modifications. Though it was thought that they were all gone. To think that a rookie managed to find one…Looks like things are gonna get interesting around here," Leon says, smiling at the battle.

…

"Well, well, well, looks like the lower classes are about to have a new top dog. Wouldn't you agree, ladies?" Jack Cisco says while the twins, Chris and Kelly Tasker, nod in agreement. "Heh, kind of reminds me of when Bit Cloud joined the zoid battles."

…

At the Harry Champ Victory Research Institute, Sebastian and Benjamin watch the video of the battle.

"Wow, that sure is a strong zoid," Benjamin notes.

"Harry, you need to see this. It's one of the class C battles," Sebastian calls his master.

"Does it involves Leena?!" Harry calls out while staring at a picture of Leena Toros.

"No, why would it?" Sebastian asks.

"If it doesn't involve Leena, then I'm not interested. I've only got eyes for you, honey," Harry replies, laughing a little weirdly.

The two robots sigh. They'll never change him.

…

Elsewhere, formers members of the Back Draft Group, Stoller, Sanders, and Pierce watch the video of the battle.

"I know the Back Draft Group used to have three Geno Saurers, but they were wiped out during the royal cup. How did a complete rookie get her hands on something like a Geno Ritter?" Pierce asks.

"Who knows? Commander, what do you think?" Sanders asks.

Stoller just smirks, "This could be very interesting," he mutters.

…

"…Well, I didn't think a zoid like that even exists anymore," a certain blonde warrior says before he walks over to a very familiar white zoid. "Well, we may have to check these guys out someday. How does that sound…Liger Zero?" the man asks before the zoid roars in response.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah Lockhart finally meets her true partner, the Geno Ritter. Getting such a rare zoid has certainly turned people's eyes towards her. Things will really be getting interesting for her now. Who knows what will happen next? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	5. Chapter 5: Sap or Warrior?

**Here we are at Chapter 5. The Geno Ritter made its debut, but now time to see how things will go from there. Also, I changed some things around in the previous chapters and made Sarah a class C warrior instead of class E. From what I gathered from the show, class C may be the lowest and it would take too long to get from class E to class A where all the good stuff will happen, so there. Anyway, I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owner. Here's chapter 5. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Sap or Warrior?**

After her first battle with her new partner, the Geno Ritter, Sarah gets everything set up and drives her Gustav to Gale Town. Luckily, she didn't take any damage in this battle, so that means more prize money in her pocket. The drive is easy enough, it's only when she finally gets into town that things start to get a little crazy. As soon as she pulls up near the local zoids institute for zoid warriors, a huge crowd of other zoid warriors, fans, and zoid engineers and businessmen swarm her Gustav.

"What the Hell?! What's all this?!" Sarah yells inside her Gustav. Looking out cockpit of her Gustav, Sarah sees people from every possible angle, doing just about everything short of crawling onto her Gustav and trying to break in. "Come on, how am I supposed to get out of here in this mess?!" Sarah questions her situation.

She manages to open up her cockpit, and instantly she wishes she had kept it closed.

"Hey, where'd you get that zoid?!" one person yells.

"You looking for a team to join? We've got a spot for you. Join up with us!" one warrior yells.

"How much do you want for that Geno Ritter?! Name your price and it's yours!" she hears another yell out.

With so many people getting into her personal space, Sarah starts to freak out.

"GENO!" Sarah shouts as loud as she can.

The Geno Ritter moves and roars at the crowd, activating its blades and scaring the Hell out of all of them. It roars again as it gets closer to them and the people scatter and run away, finally giving Sarah some breathing room. Sarah falls onto her knees and breathes a heavy breath. She's been here for only a few minutes, and she's already exhausted. The Geno Ritter disengages its blades and leans its head close to her.

"Thank you, Geno Ritter. That was just way too much to deal with all at once," Sarah says, smiling a bit as she pets the Geno Ritter's nose, making it growl eagerly to the touch. "Sorry, but you'll have to stay here. I need to head into town and start looking for possible teammates. Thanks to you, that should be a little easier…I think," she says as she stands up. "Just try not to kill anyone okay. But, if anyone tries to mess with you, then you can scare them away. But, no bloodshed, got it?" Sarah asks. The Geno Ritter growls a bit, but nods anyway. "Good. I'll be back soon," Sarah says and walks away while her partner watches her leave.

Walking through the town, Sarah tries to look for a spot to eat since she didn't really get a chance to eat anything good enough for breakfast before the battle. Besides, she might be able to find some potential teammates along the way. During her walk, she can see some people glancing at her. Some of them she recognizes from her earlier encounter with the huge mob outside her window. Feeling a little nervous, she picks up her pace until she finds a local diner and quickly moves inside to avoid another big crowd. Finding an empty table near the back, she sighs in relief while waiting for something to drink.

"After I fuel up here, I'll head back to the institute and scope out some of the other teams and warriors there. I've got to find someone to join my team for future battles. Geno Ritter is incredible, but if I want to have a chance to make it into class A and face the top teams around, I'm going to need some backup. Hopefully I can find someone that won't creep me out and is a decent pilot," Sarah mutters.

She manages to get some coffee and a plate of pancakes to eat. Glad to finally get some food, Sarah digs in, but while she's eating, she notices out of the corner of her eye someone peering through one of the windows of the diner. A girl maybe two years younger than her, and staring right at her. The girl is wearing a long-sleeved brown jacket with white lines going down the sleeves, over a black shirt, and is also wearing blue short-shorts over black leggings, with a black belt, and brown boots. The girl has shoulder-length turquoise hair under a light brown newsboy hat and green eyes. As soon as the girl notices Sarah looking back at her, she quickly bolts and out of Sarah's sight.

Sarah blinks in confusion, "I don't remember her being in the crowd earlier today," she notes before sighing.

After finishing up her meals, Sarah heads back to the institute and goes inside. Looking around, she sees several teams and other warriors around, either hanging out watching other battles, or working on their zoids. Of course, as she's walking around, eyes start turning towards her, making her nervous.

 _"I said that I hoped one day people would be talking about me like they do the top teams, but I'm starting to think that's a bad idea. They're looking at me almost like I'm a piece of meat. I guess that's what happens when you have a once-thought extinct zoid as your partner,"_ she mentally notes.

As she walks around, she hears some commotion going on ahead and moves a little faster to check it out. Eventually, she finds a pair of warriors wearing red jackets standing over the same girl she saw earlier, with said girl on the ground on her butt.

"Listen, we don't need idiots like you holding us back. We got to get back up in the ranks, and we don't need kids like you to get in our way," one member says, with short brown hair.

"I'll I was asking is if you're looking for new members. Maybe with some fresh faces, you could increase your chances of getting back into class B. It's a win-win for both sides. What's the problem?" the girl asks as she gets back on her feet.

"The problem is the zoid you're using. That thing is made for mining, not battle. It wouldn't help us in the slightest, aside from maybe being bait for the other team," the same member says.

"Come on man, that's enough. We don't need to be making a scene," the other member with short black hair tries to stop him.

"Too late for that," they hear and look back to see Sarah with her hands on her hips. "Now what seems to be the problem here?" she asks, a little irritated by their behavior.

"What's it to you? This is our business, so stay out of it," the brown-haired member says.

His partner, however, quickly recognizes Sarah, "Wait Cole, I know her. She's the pilot of that Geno Saurer zoid. From the Lockhart Team," the second member says.

"What, seriously?!" the first one, named Cole, looks shocked

"My name's Stephen. This is my partner, Cole. I apologize for him. He just gets fired up sometimes. We're the Red Fire team. You're Sarah Lockhart, the one with that rare Geno Saurer zoid. What brings you here?" Stephen asks, completely forgetting about the girl behind him.

"I came to scope out potential new members for my team, and then I come onto this scene. And my zoid is a Geno Ritter, to be exact," Sarah replies.

"Looking for new members, huh? Well, in that case, why not join our team? We've had a little trouble in the zoid rankings lately, but we've managed to get back on track. If you join our team, we can make it to class B in no time, and then it's on to class A. This way we get our former ranking back, and you get to be a part of a zoid team. What do you say?" Cole asks, smiling.

Sarah smiles a bit, "Well, I have been looking for new members," Sarah says, making them think that she'll join them. But then, she walks right by them and up to the other girl.  
"So how about it? Want to join MY team?" Sarah offers.

The other girls is surprised, "Wait, you want me?" she asks, pointing at herself.

"Why would you want her? She's a complete novice, and her zoid is completely useless for battle," Cole says, getting angry at being rejected.

"What kind of zoid do you use?" Sarah asks, completely ignoring him.

"W-well, I use a-," she begins.

"Listen, if you want to move up in the rankings, then it might be better to join us. You need to be smart about this," Stephen says.

Sarah turns to them, "Alright then, how about this? Let's decide it with a zoid battle. The two of us against the two of you in battle mode 0-9-8-2. If you win, then I'll join your team, but if we win, then you apologize to her for your behavior and you'll leave us alone from now on. Sound like a deal?" Sarah suggests.

"You're joking right. You're really gonna fight with this weakling?" Cole asks, feeling insulted that Sarah would choose to fight with the other girl.

"If you think you'll win, then you'll have no problem accepting, right?" Sarah taunts them.

Cole growls while Stephen speaks, "Fine, we'll accept your challenge. Tomorrow at noon outside the town. We'll see you then," Stephen says and leaves with Cole who just grunts.

Sarah sighs before facing the other girl, "Sorry I got you involved in that. I should've asked you before shooting my mouth off like that," she apologizes.

The girl shakes her head, "No, that was so cool how you stood up to them. Thank you for helping me out…But what are we going to do now. We have to fight them tomorrow," the girl laments.

"And we'll win, but first proper introductions. My name's Sarah Lockhart, of the Lockhart Team," Sarah introduces herself.

"I'm Grace Flintwood, and I'm kind of new to the whole zoid battle business," Grace introduces herself, rubbing the back of her head.

"Nice to meet you. So, looks like we've got a zoid battle tomorrow. Which reminds me: what type of zoid do you use again?" Sarah asks.

"Well…" Grace trails off.

…

"…So this is your zoid?" Sarah asks, looking up.

"This is the one," Grace replies.

Her zoid turns out to be a Spinosapper, albeit with a few modifications. The body design and paint scheme are the same. It comes equipped with a pair of laser chainsaws on the back, though the sub-arms for them appear to be modified. It also comes equipped with a pair of small beam gatling guns on the claws and a pair of missile pods on the legs (like the ones on the Gun Sniper's arms and the missile pods that Leena uses). It still has a small beam gun on the tail like usual.

"I've managed to equip it with a few ranged weapons to give it that extra punch. I modified the sub-arms for the chainsaws to give them a greater range of motion for close combat, and I've tuned up the stabilizers across the body to help adjust its speed despite the extra weight. It's not much, but it works for me," Grace explains.

Sarah steps closer to it, feeling the hard work Grace put into her zoid, "Tell me, why do you pilot a Spinosapper of all zoids? I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just curious," Sarah asks.

Grace stands next to her, staring at her zoid, "I want to prove that the Spinosapper can be a strong combat zoid. Nowadays, it's mainly used for mining or excavation, and is rarely used in zoid battles. Because of that, people think it's weak, but I want to change that. The Spinosapper is an incredible zoid, and I want to show everyone what it can do in battle…My father was a miner who used one himself. He would take me on rides with it all the time back home…But then he was killed in a mining accident, and his zoid was lost…But still, he always talked about how great it was. That's why I pilot one, and why I want to fight with one," Grace explains.

Sarah listens on, moved by Grace's words, "I'm sorry about what happened to your father…But, you'll get your chance to show the Spinosapper's strength tomorrow, when we kick the Red Fire Team's butt. You with me?" Sarah asks.

"Wait, you still want to fight with me?" Grace asks, stunned once again.

"Yep. I did say I would battle with you tomorrow, so let's do it," Sarah says.

Grace eventually smiles, "Yeah, we'll send them crashing into the desert floor," she agrees.

"But first, there's someone I want you to meet," Sarah says and walks away with Grace right behind her. They walk outside until they find Sarah's Geno Ritter waiting for them. "There you are," Sarah says, and the Geno Ritter leans down for her to pet its nose. "Yes, yes, I missed you too. Listen, we've got a battle tomorrow, and she's going to be fighting with us. Her name's Grace," Sarah introduces her. Grace weakly waves at it with a nervous smile, but the Geno Ritter just growls at her, making her step back a bit. "Hey, what did I say? No killing anyone," Sarah berates it, making the Geno Ritter look away with a grunt. "Don't worry, you'll get used to each other…hopefully…"

…

The next day comes by fast, and Sarah and Grace are already a distance away from Gale Town. They managed to get a second flat-bed for Grace's Spinosapper (after Sarah convincing her Geno Ritter to not rip it to pieces), and headed out to the designated battle area. Their battle had been approved by the ZBC, and people back in town were even getting ready to watch it anyway they can.

"So, what's the plan again?" Grace asks, putting on a pair of black gloves for the battle.

"The Red Fire Team uses two Red Horn zoids. They got some good armor and weapons on them, and are the most dangerous at the front. However, they're lousy when it comes to maneuverability, so getting them from the sides is a good bet. My Geno Ritter is much faster than your Spinosapper, so I'll move in first to trip them up and separate them. When that happens, attack one of them from the sides. How you do that is up to you, while I go after the other one. Sound good?" Sarah explains.

"Yeah, sounds good to me," Grace says.

Soon enough, they reach the battlefield and get into their zoids to proceed forward. During the walk though, Grace starts feeling nervous, something Sarah seems to notice through the comm link.

"Hey, take a breath. All you can do now is fight with everything you got. Besides, I got your back here, remember?" Sarah encourages her.

"Y-yeah, right. Sorry," Grace replies before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. They quickly spot a pair of Red Horns waiting for them a distance away. Both are equipped with a beam gatling-gun, a rocket launch pod on the left side, and a missle pod on the right side of the beam gatling-gun. "Those are a lot of weapons," she notes.

"Just makes them slower. Just keep moving as you close in," Sarah says.

The judge capsule crashes into the ground not too far from them a second later, and gets set up.

"Scanning…Scanning…This zone is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personnel must vacate the area immediately. The Lockhart Team versus the Red Fire Team. Battle mode 0-9-8-2. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready…Fight!" the judge declares and the battle begins.

The two Red Horns immediately start firing their beam gatling-guns at Sarah and Grace. The Geno Ritter engages its weapons and armor and uses its thrusters to fly across the sand, evading the fire. Meanwhile, the Spinosapper simply runs towards the enemy. However, one of them turns its attention to Grace.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you. You get to go down first!" the voice of Cole yells out as he fires his missle pod at her.

Grace fires her small gatling-guns to destroy most of the missles, but two of them manage to hit the Spinosapper. Luckily, the Spinosapper has a tough plate of armor and is still standing after that hit.

Grace groans a bit, "Good thing this guy's built tough. Now it's my turn," she says.

The Spinosapper fires its missile pods, sending the missiles to explode all around the Red Horn and blowing up dust and smoke. Meanwhile, the second Red Horn continues to fire its beam gatling-gun and rocket launcher at Sarah and her Geno Ritter, but the Geno Ritter flies past each shot. It roars as it readies its blades and gets closer, but the Red Horn fires off its missiles as it closes in, forcing the Geno Ritter to jump back and evade them. The Red Horn charges at it, poised to pierce it with its horn. However, the Geno Ritter raises its right claw and stops the charge by grabbing the horn. The Red Horn tries to push back, but the Geno Ritter is too strong. It then tries to fire its missile pod and rocket launcher at it, only for the Geno Ritter's blades to slice those weapons and the beam gatling-gun off.

"How? How can you be this strong?" Stephen says, straining in his voice as his zoid struggles to push the Geno Ritter back.

"Let's go, Geno!" Sarah yells. The Geno Ritter roars before it pushes the Red Horn up onto its hind legs and then throws it onto its side. The Geno Ritter slams its left foot on its head to keep it down, and finishes it off by slicing off the zoid's left legs. "And that's all she wrote," she says while the Geno Ritter roars in victory.

"I-Impossible…" Stephen mutters in shock.

Back with their partners, Cole's Red Horn waits for the dust to settle before attacking again. However, Grace's Spinosapper rushes in from the left side with its chainsaws buzzing. They swing down and manage to slice off the rocket launcher, but the Red Horn side-steps away enough to avoid any more damage. It then comes around and fires its beam gatling-gun at Grace. Grace grits her teeth and moves the chainsaws in front to act as shields and block the shots. This gives the Red Horn the chance to charge at it and knock the Spinosapper away onto the ground with its horn.

"Arrgh, damn it! Come on, get up, Spinosapper!' Grace yells as her zoid struggles to get up.

"Now to finish you off, you little punk," Cole says before firing off more missiles at her.

Grace watches as they are about to hit, only for a large particle beam to come out and blast all of them to ashes. Both fighters look to the side to see the Geno Ritter, charged particle cannon out from that last shot.

"You?! But, what happened to Stephen?!" Cole yells.

"Sorry, but you're partner's out of commission. It's just you now. Grace. He's all yours. Finish him off!" Sarah calls out.

"R-right! Let's go, Spinosapper!" Grace says as her zoid gets back on its feet.

"Why you little-," Cole growls before he fires off his beam gatling-gun at Grace.

The Spinosapper runs for it to evade the shots, and counters with some shots from her gatling-guns. The Red Horn's heavy armor withstands most of the shots, but a few of them hit the zoid's beam gatling-gun, destroying it. With its enemy disarmed, the Spinosapper charges at it with its chainsaws and finally lands a lethal bow by cutting off its right leg and even the head by the neck. With the last Red Horn taken down, the buzzer goes off.

"Battle is over. Battle is over. The winner is…the Lockhart Team," the judge announces.

"Yes, another win for the Lockhart team," Sarah cheers while the Geno Ritter roars.

Grace lets out a breath, "We actually won. And I won with my Spinosapper…That. Was. Awesome!" Grace cheers as he zoid roars with her.

A minute later, the zoid warriors meet up in the middle of the battlefield, with Sarah and Grace backed by their zoids, while the members of the Red Fire Team can only look at how damaged their zoids are.

"Now then. We had a deal. We won, so you owe Grace an apology," Sarah notes.

"You gotta be kidding. Isn't it bad enough that you damaged our zoids to such an extent? You guys are nothing more than a bunch of-," Cole yells before Stephen stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

"We lost the battle, Cole. A deal's a deal," Stephen says and steps to the girls. "I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I hope you can forgive me," Stephen apologizes.

Cole grits his teeth a bit and crosses his arms, "Fine, I'm sorry. There, you happy?" he says.

Grace shrugs her shoulders, "That's the best I'd expect from you, but apology accepted," Grace says, smiling with her hands clasped behind her back.

…

A while later, the Red Fire Team had already left, but Sarah and Grace stayed behind to watch the sun start to set.

"Well, my visit to Gale Town sure has been exciting, but it's time to hit the road and get on to the next town," Sarah says.

"Yeah…" Grace says a little sadly. "Thanks for helping me out again. Maybe we'll see each other again someday," she says, turning to face Sarah.

Sarah looks confused, "What are you talking about? Were teammates now, so we go together," she says.

"Wait, you mean when you wanted me on your team? It wasn't just for today? Grace asks.

"Are you kidding? You're exactly the kind of warrior I want on my team. When I asked you to join, it was for every future battle we'll be in. So, I'll ask again, to be clear: do you want to be a part of my team?" Sarah asks.

Grace slowly smiles, "Y-yes, I'll join your team! To be battling alongside you will be awesome!" she agrees.

Sarah holds out her hand, "Then welcome to the Lockhart Team, Grace Flintwood," Sarah says.

Grace accepts the hand, "Glad to be here," she replies, while the Geno Ritter roars behind them to the sky.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Now Sarah has her first teammate, Grace Flintwood and her custom Spinosapper. I once thought about using the Spinosapper as Sarah's zoid, but went against it. However, I still think it's a cool zoid, so I wanted to use it somehow in the story. I'm trying to use zoids that don't have a lot of screen time as the ones for Sarah's team, aside from the Geno Ritter's original form, the Geno Saurer. Now with Grace by her side, what awaits Sarah on her journey? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Red Warriors

**Here we are at Chapter 6. Sarah's team has gotten a little bigger. Let's see what else changes on her journey. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 6. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Red Warriors**

"Go for it, Geno!" Sarah yells in the Geno Ritter's cockpit.

The Geno Ritter roars and soars across the desert floor, blades out and ready to deal some damage. Her opponent is another warrior piloting a Gordos. The Gordos fires off its cannons, but the Geno Ritter flies around each shot as it closes in. When it gets close, the Geno Ritter swings its left blade at the Gordos left legs, slicing them off and making the zoid fall to the ground.

"Alright! Grace, how are you doing?!" Sarah calls out over the comms.

"…Working on it," Grace replies.

The Spinosapper fires off its gatling-guns at a pair of Pteras bombers in the air. The two aerial zoids evade the incoming fire and split off, with one going after Grace while the other one goes after Sarah. The first Pteras fires off its missile launchers at Grace, who responds by firing off her gatling-guns to take out most of them and use her chainsaws to block the last two. She then fires off her missile launchers, having the missiles swarm the lone zoid. The Pteras bomber tries to evade them, but a sudden burst of fire from the Spinosapper's guns forces it to go one way that leaves it wide open to a few missiles. Three missiles hit the zoid dead on, causing it to catch smoke and fall to the ground.

"Yes, another one bites the dust!" Grace says.

Meanwhile, the remaining Pteras bomber fires off its missiles at Sarah, but she has her Geno Ritter fly across the ground to avoid them, and the then finishes it up by using its blades to slice through the last two. The Pteras flies by as the Geno Ritter roars at it.

"Okay, the blades won't work, to we'll have to use this," Sarah says.

The Geno Ritter engages its foot-locks and opens up the vents in its tail, engaging the charged particle cannon in its mouth. Sarah aims it at the Pteras bomber in the sky. However, her eyes widen when she sees the zoid fly back in, firing off more missiles at her. Sarah gasps as they close in, but then the missiles are destroyed in mid-air by incoming fire from the side. Sarah looks over to see Grace and her Spinosapper, having fired off its gatling-guns again.

"Sarah, attack now!" Grace says.

Sarah nods and pulls the trigger, firing off the charged particle cannon at the Pteras bomber. The blast hits the zoid on its side and left wing, causing it to explode on that side and crash into the ground. Luckily, the pilot ejected from the cockpit like the first Pteras pilot from Grace's fight. After that, the buzzer goes off.

"Battle is over. Battle is over. The winner is…the Lockhart Team," the judge announces.

"Yes, that's what I'm talking about!" Grace cheers.

Sarah sighs, "We've claimed another victory. Right, Geno?" Sarah asks, and her zoid roars in agreement.

…

"Woo, that wasn't too bad. I'm really getting the hang of this," Grace notes in the Gustav.

"You'll get better with each battle. It helps that you know everything there is to know about the Spinosapper. There are plenty of warriors that have zoids they know about, but they don't know everything about it, and that puts them at a disadvantage," Sarah says, driving the Gustav to the next town. "Truth be told, I'm still learning everything I can about the Geno Ritter. Information on the Geno Saurer is easier to find, but data on the Geno Ritter is much more difficult. However, I did learn one thing today. It's that I need to improve Geno's ranged capabilities," she notes.

"But what about the charged particle cannon? It's a ranged weapon, and a powerful weapon at that," Grace asks.

"Yes, but it does have its drawbacks. It can't be used without the foot-locks being engaged, and when they do, the Geno Ritter can't move. That leaves it vulnerable. And that's why when we reach the next town, I'm going to see if there are any weapon shops, or if the local zoids institute has any weapons for purchase," Sarah explains.

"I guess I can see your point. We've managed to save up quite a bit of prize money. Hopefully we'll find something. I need to look for something as well while we're there," Grace says.

"What do you need to get? As long as it's not expensive," Sarah asks.

Grace puts a finger to her lips and winks at her, "Trade secret. So what's the name of the town again?" Grace asks.

"It's Temps Town. We'll be there shortly," Sarah says. After a little while longer, they reach Temps Town and pull in near the local zoids institute. "Alright, I'm going to look for Geno's weapons. You go do…whatever it is you want to do. Don't be gone too long okay. We've both encountered some trouble when we were alone in a new town. Let's try to avoid that," Sarah says.

"You got it. See you later," Grace says and takes her leave.

Sarah goes off to look for a weapons shop in town, "Now if I were a weapons shop for zoids, where would I be?" she mutters as she looks around. Walking through town, she sees a few other zoid warriors minding their own business, with not as many glancing at her this time around, which she is more than thankful for. However, after a few minutes of walking around, she finds a big store with a picture of a cannon on the front. "That looks like a good place to start," she says and heads inside.

Looking around, she sees the place is bigger than she first thought, and filled with zoid weapons. She sees missile pods, gatling rifles, and other assorted weapons up for sale. However, most of them are not going to work for the Geno Ritter. They are either too big to fit onto the body, or wouldn't be able to work with how the Geno Ritter works with all of its original modifications. The wings on the legs takes up that position away, and the backpack limits the amount of weapons that can be installed on it. Maybe she could attach a small pair of guns on the arms, but that would be hard.

"May I help you, young lady?" she hears and looks to her right to see an older man with greying hair walking over to her, wearing worker gloves and a leather apron on.

"Uh, yes, I'm looking for some zoid weapons to install onto my zoid. The thing is, my zoid's design makes it difficult to find the right kind that will work for me," Sarah says.

"We'll we have all kinds of weapons here. What kind of zoid do you use?" he asks.

"Well, you've probably heard of it, it's the Geno Ritter people have been talking about. He's my partner," Sarah replies.

"Oh, so you're the pilot I've been hearing about so much. Well let's see what we have here. If the Geno Ritter is your zoid, then a pair of small ranged weapons would most likely work for it, so it doesn't lose out on close-combat capabilities. Let's see…" The old man says as he walks through the shop, stopping in front of one section with several small ranged weapons out on display on the wall. "I think one of these will work for you. Look them over and tell me if any catch your eye," he says.

Sarah walks up to the console, pulling up the data on each weapon. Looking through the list, she eventually comes across a pair of TEZ 20mm linear laser guns on sale in the store. They are small, but pack enough punch to make a difference in the right hands. They're known for being used by Dimetrodon zoids. Perhaps these will work for her.

"I think I'll take a pair of these weapons right here," she says, pointing to the laser guns.

"Well alright. Just bring your zoid in and I'll install them. I think I know just where to install them too," the old man says.

A few minutes later, Sarah manages to get her Geno Ritter into the back of the shop and keep it from destroying the place. The old man already has the weapons out on some equipment to help get the gear on. However, as he moves closer, the Geno Ritter growls at him.

"Geno, he's only here to help. DON'T hurt him," Sarah tells him.

The Geno Ritter growls again, but allows it. Wiping some sweat away, the old man gets to work installing the weapons. It takes a little while, but he eventually gets the laser guns installed on the Geno Ritter's blades on the sub-arms, on the black section of the weapons where the blades begin.

"Whew, that ought to do it. This way, when you're using your blades, you can also fire the guns at different angles, instead of just forward or a few angles. The guns can also pivot around to add more directional range to their trajectory. This will definitely improve your fighting capabilities," the old man says as he lowers his equipment onto the ground and steps off.

Sarah jumps out of the cockpit and walks up to him, "Thanks for your help. I really needed this," she notes.

"Of course. Now then, if you'll just come with me, we can finalize the payment and the paperwork," he says and walks up front.

Sarah follows him, makes the payment, signs the paperwork, and is all set to go. Seeing that the Geno Ritter wants to leave the building, Sarah pilots him back to the Gustav before something bad happens (and by bad, I mean the Geno Ritter destroying the building).

"Alright Geno. I gotta go find Grace and hope she hasn't gotten into any trouble. I'll be back," Sarah says as she gets ready to leave.

"Hey, you make it sound like I always get into trouble when I go out," Sarah hears and looks back to see Grace walking up to her, carrying a pair of shopping bags with her. "And you haven't even known me that long either," Grace says.

"Well, when we first met, you were on your own and already in trouble. Anyway, what you got there?" Sarah asks.

"Well, I thought about getting you something as thanks for helping me out before and for letting me join you team. I also found something for me while I was at it, heh-heh," Grace says, holding the bag in her left hand to Sarah.

"These had better not been expensive," Sarah says as she starts looking through the bag.

"They're not, don't worry," Grace says.

Sarah scopes out the bag and finds some clothes inside, "What are these clothes for?" she asks.

"Well, you can't go travelling all over the place with just your combat outfit. You'll need something for regular use. However, I did find something that would go well with your combat outfit," Grace explains. Sarah finds what she means and pulls out a light grey long leather vest jacket with a little bit of gold edging on some parts that goes down to her knees. "You are the leader of the team. I think you should look the part a bit. This would go well with your colors," Grace says and Sarah puts it on for her to inspect it. "Yep, I was right. Looks great," she says.

"It does look nice, and fits right too. How'd you know my size?" Sarah asks.

"I have an eye for these things," Grace replies.

Just then, the Geno Ritter growls and looks ahead of them, causing them to focus on him.

"What's wrong Geno?" Sarah asks.

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise. I'd hope to meet you someday," they hear a male voice and look back to see none other than Leon Toros and Naomi Fluegel. "You've been quickly making a name for yourself in the lower ranks. We've been hearing rumors," Leon says.

"You're…Leon Toros and Naomi Fluegel of the Fluegel Team. You guys are legends," Sarah mutters in awe almost like a fan girl.

"Careful Leon, looks like we've got a few fans here," Naomi jokes, hand on her hip.

"Well, I guess you already know us. How about introducing yourselves," Leon suggests.

Sarah shakes out of her stupor, "Oh right. I'm Sarah Lockhart, leader of Team Lockhart. This is my teammate and friend, Grace Flintwood. And this is my partner…um…" Sarah trails off as she turns to the Geno Ritter, only to see it glaring at Leon and Naomi like it's about to attack, growling all the while.

"…I take it he doesn't like us much," Naomi says.

"Actually, aside from Sarah here, he doesn't really like anyone. I'm still getting him to warm up to me," Grace notes while the Geno Ritter growls at them again.

"Calm down, Geno. It's okay, there's no need to hurt them. You can do that when we fight them in battle one day," Sarah says as she focuses on calming down the Geno Ritter.

The three watch as Sarah pets the Geno Ritter on its nose, which seems to calm it down as it leans in to her touch. Leon and Naomi are surprised a bit by this scene, especially Leon.

 _"Those two actually remind me of Bit Cloud and the Liger Zero,"_ Leon thinks.

After calming her partner down, Sarah returns to the group, "Sorry about him. He's just…temperamental sometimes…Or most of the time," Sarah says.

Leon smiles, "You definitely have an interesting zoid there. The both of you do," he says, looking over to Grace's Spinosapper. "I've never really seen a Spinosapper with these kinds of modifications. Nor have I seen one being used in zoid battles. But you seem to be doing well with it," he notes.

Grace smirks, "Of course. My dad taught me everything I need to know about them, so of course I would do well with it. I have to show everyone that the Spinosapper can be a strong zoid, even in battle," she says.

"And I have nothing to fear with my partner here. Right, Geno?" Sarah asks, and the zoid roars in reply. "You got that right," she says.

Naomi raises an eyebrow, "Wait, can you…understand what it's saying?" she asks.

"Yeah, it's not that hard. Why, is that weird?" Sarah asks.

"No, just…uncommon I guess. The only other zoid warrior I know that can do that is Bit Cloud from the Blitz Team and his Liger Zero," Naomi notes.

Sarah's expression lights up big time, "Do you mean that I remind you of them?!" she asks.

Leon chuckles, "Actually yes, a little bit. Truth be told, the Blitz Team had the Liger Zero for some time before Bit joined them, but it wouldn't let anyone pilot it. Not until Bit showed up. He would always be seen talking to it, and seemed to understand what the Liger Zero was saying. Just like how you seem to understand the Geno Ritter here. You two are more alike than you think. However, you need to remember that that alone won't be enough to win every battle. You're opponents now have been easy to defeat, but there are plenty of skilled warriors out there, and not just in class A or class S. To reach the top, you have so search for unlimited potential, and become as strong as you possibly can. Zoid battles are about more than just winning or losing," he says, going into 'Leon' mode.

"Alright, enough with the warrior class, Leon. You sound just like a school teacher," Naomi says.

"Come on, I don't sound that bad. I was just giving them some advice as an experienced warrior," Leon defends himself.

"And sounding old enough to be your dad to do it," Naomi playfully retorts.

Leon gives her a bit of a look before focusing back on Sarah, "Anyway, we'd better get going. We've got a battle set for tomorrow and we need to get ready for it. It was nice to finally meet you, Sarah Lockhart. And you, Grace Flintwood. Hopefully one day we'll get to go up against each other in battle," he says.

Sarah gives him a determined smirk, "You can count on it. One day, I'll make it into class A, and then I'll battle you, and win," she says. Leon and Naomi smirk back before taking their leave. Once they're gone, Sarah releases a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I can't believe it…I actually had to the chance to talk to Leon Toros and Naomi Fluegel. I must be dreaming, someone pinch me," Sarah mutters. Grace then pinches her on the arm. "Ow!" she yells.

"You're awake," Grace notes, laughing a little bit.

"Alright, enough fooling around. Let's finish up here and get set up for the night. I want to stick around so we can watch their battle tomorrow. I want to see it," Sarah says.

"Okay, okay, chill out. We can try on our new regular clothes while we watch their battle tomorrow. No need to go crazy on me," Grace says. _"Geez, if this is what she's like when meeting the Fluegel Team, I'm almost scared to see what she acts like if we ever meet the Blitz Team."_

…

The next day, Sarah and Grace visit the local pub, which also serves as the main hangout for zoid warriors passing through, both wearing some non-combat clothes. Sarah still has her normal dog tags, but she is now wearing a long-sleeved blue jacket over a white shirt, with a matching short blue skirt, white thigh-high socks, and knee-high white and blue high-heeled boots. Meanwhile, Grace is still wearing her newsboy hat, but now she has on a brown vest over a sleeveless black shirt with detached sleeves, blue jeans with a brown belt, and black boots.

"I must admit, you have a better eye than I thought," Sarah notes as she inspects her outfit.

"I told you, I have an eye for this sort of thing. While my dad taught me everything I know about zoids and the Spinosapper, my mom taught me a few things about clothing. It's a gift," Grace praises herself.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, let's find a spot, get some drinks, and watch the battle," Sarah says. They find some seats, get some drinks, and wait until the big screen behind the bar pulls up the Fluegel Team's next battle. "Alright, here we go," she says.

…

"…You're still thinking about our talk with the Lockhart Team yesterday, aren't ya?" Naomi asks over the comms in her Gun Sniper.

Leon Chuckles, "You got me…It was just uncanny, you know. If I didn't know better, I'd say that Sarah Lockhart would be the Second Coming of Bit Cloud. But enough of that, let's focus on the battle," Leon says, his red Blade Liger roaring with him.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah meets Leon and Naomi, two of the best zoid warriors around. But this is just the start of who she'll meet along her journey. Who else will she encounter along the way? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Hunter

**Here we are at Chapter 7. Time for another chapter on Sarah's journey. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owner. I only own the OCs. Here's chapter 7. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Hunter**

It is another day on the road for Sarah and Grace as they head out to the next town on their way to their next battle. Sarah is driving, of course, while Grace sits next to her, reading up data on their next possible opponents.

"I hope our next opponent will be a little more challenging than the last one," Sarah notes.

"What makes you say that? A win is a win, and besides, wouldn't it be better if the opponent is easier to beat, and we end up taking less damage in battle. Then we'd have a better chance of making it into class B," Grace asks.

"Well, yeah, that's fine. But, every now and then, it helps to have a strong opponent. Someone to test my skills. That's what Geno feels too," Sarah says.

"Huh? Geno? What do you mean?" Grace asks.

"Well, he's been getting a little antsy lately. You may not be able to see it, but I can tell. He's getting bored," Sarah notes as she glances back in the direction of her Geno Ritter on the flatbed hooked behind him.

Grace glances back too, "Huh. I never noticed, mostly because I'm trying to make sure he doesn't eat me," she half jokes.

Sarah laughs a bit, "Haha, don't worry. He'll get used to you soon enough," she says.

"Well, how come he got used to you almost immediately?" Grace asks with a slight glare.

Sarah smirks innocently, "I just have that charm, that's all," she replies.

Grace rolls her eyes, "Yeah, that's it," she mutters.

…

Soon enough, they reach Galm town. They haven't received the information on their next battle yet, but that can change anytime. After pulling in to an area reserved for passing zoid warriors.

"So, what do we do for now?" Grace asks as they exit the Gustav.

"Well, we could-," Sarah begins until she sees a pair of ambulances speed past the, lights on and sirens blasting as they race down the road. "…What was that all about?" she asks.

"It's happening all over again," they hear one male civilian say as he walks on by.

"Wait, what's happening all over again?' Grace asks.

"It's those damn Vipers. They call themselves the Desert Vipers. They're a gang of bandits that have been making a mess of zoid battles lately around here. They wait beneath the sand, and when a battle is about to get underway, they ambush the teams with their numbers and take them down, and then leave before the zoids battle commission can retaliate. Those ambulances come by every few days or so, each time carrying a wounded zoid warrior with them. They prey on the weaker teams rather than go after the more skilled teams like those in class A. Just a bunch of cowards if you ask me," the man explains.

"Why hasn't the ZBC said anything about this yet?" Grace asks.

"Because they don't want a lot of people to know about it. They're trying to keep it under wraps while trying to solve the problem. At least, that's what I think. Though, they're having a hard time with it. Listen, just be careful when you're out on the sand. Those Vipers can come out from anywhere," the man notes before he walks away.

"Well…that was ominous," Grace notes.

"A little bit. You can practically find bandits almost anywhere on Planet Zi. That's why you have to be careful on the road. Well, we'd better-," Sarah begins until her zoid gear goes off and she pulls it out. "It's the ZBC. They have our next opponent. It looks like we'll be facing the Steel Sails Team. They fight with a pair of Gator zoids and a Dimetrodon as the leader," she says.

Grace rests her arms behind her head, "Huh, doesn't sound too hard. Gators don't have that high a performance level. That Dimetrodon may cause a little bit of trouble, but we should be able to handle it," she says.

"They have jamming equipment, so that could mess with our radar and communications. Should that happen, we'll need to be careful not to hit each other. Focus on the enemy in front of you, and watch for ambush attacks," Sarah says.

"Right," Grace replies.

Neither of them notice that a short distance away, a young man with silver, spikey hair, is watching them from a distance.

The man smirks, "Well, it looks like this could get interesting," he mutters.

…

The next day, Sarah and Grace head out from Galm Town to reach their battle area a ways away. In their combat gear, Grace is using her zoid gear to check over their zoids while Sarah drives.

"Well everything with the Geno Ripper and my Spinosapper appears legit. We should be good to go," Grace says.

"Okay. I'll focus on the Dimetrodon, you take care of the Gators. Think you can handle that?" Sarah asks.

"Of course I can. Who do you think you're talking to?" Grace asks, a little offended.

"Yeah, yeah. Just be careful of their jamming equipment. It's in their sails, so you can slice those off with your chainsaws. We'll be arriving there soon so get ready," Sarah replies.

A little later, they arrive at the battle zone and get into their zoids. Moving further up the desert sands, they eventually spot their opponents, with the Dimetrodon being flanked by the pair of Gators. A moment later, the judge capsule crashes a distance away and the judge comes out.

"Scanning…Scanning…This zone is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personnel must vacate the area immediately. The Lockhart Team versus the Steel Sails Team. Battle mode 0-9-9-0. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready…Fight!" the judge declares and the battle begins.

Right off the bat, the Dimetrodon activates the jamming equipment in its sail as it and its allies start firing off their weapons at their opponents. Sarah has the Geno Ritter race across the ground in one direction while Grace and her Spinosapper run in another.

"I figured they would've used their jamming equipment early on. I won't be able to communicate with Grace until I take it out. Let's go, Geno!" Sarah calls out and the Geno Ritter roars before heading towards the Dimetrodon.

"Sarah, do you copy? Sarah? Damn it, no comms. Oh well," Grace mutters. Her Spinosapper fires off some gun shots from its gatling-guns, but the rounds go off course from their targets, who retaliate with their own gatling beam cannons. "Crap, targeting system is off, too. Guess we'll have to do this the old fashion way," she notes.

The Spinosapper runs with its chainsaws out front to block incoming fire. Luckily, the Gators were never known for their offensive strength, for which there isn't much. One activates a tail cutter in its tail and runs at her, attempting to swing it at the Spinosapper when it gets close. However, the Spinosapper's chainsaws are much stronger in close-range combat. Grace has her zoid swing down its left chainsaw to block the tail cutter and then pushes it away to give her a chance to slice downwards at the Gator's side with her right chainsaw. The zoid falls onto the ground in defeat, but Grace can't celebrate just yet as she as to evade incoming fire from the second Gator.

Meanwhile, The Dimetrodon fires off multiple laser guns at Sarah as her Geno Ritter glides across the desert floor.

"Gotta go for that sail first," Sarah mutters and activates her zoid's blades.

The Dimetrodon then fires off its small missile pods on the back and the back of the head, sending out six missiles at the Geno Ritter. The Geno Ritter roars and swings its blades around, slicing through three of the missiles while evading the others. The Dimetrodon's pilot seems to get desperate and goes on a crazy charge towards the Geno Ritter while firing off its laser guns. The shots barely miss the Geno Ritter as it gets close and swings its left blade, cutting the Dimetrodon's sails in two. The Dimetrodon roars as if in pain, but turns around to attack again, only to get a tail swipe to the face and getting sent flying into the ground and its systems freezing up.

"Nice. Now then…Grace, do you read me?" Sarah calls out.

"…Sarah? Alright, I can hear you loud and clear. I guess you took care of the Dimetrodon. You okay?" Grace asks over the comms.

"Yeah, I'm all good here. How about you?" Sarah asks.

"Well, I'm…hold on, give me a sec," Grace says and Sarah hears some incoherent yelling on the other end. A moment later, Grace comes back up. "Never mind, I'm good," Grace says, with her Spinosapper holding the head of the second Gator in its claws.

Sarah nervously laughs a bit, "Heh-heh-heh, I see that," she mutters as the buzzer goes off.

"Battle over. Battle over. The winner is…the-," the judge begins until suddenly a shot rings out and hits the judge capsule, causing the judge to fall out and the systems to freeze up.

"What happened to the judge?!" Grace yells.

"The judge was hit! Who did that-ahh?!" Sarah yells before her zoid gets hit by a sneak attack. Suddenly scores of Stealth Vipers burst out from under the sand and surround the two warriors. "Stealth Vipers? It must be that Desert Viper gang that man told us about," she says.

"I'm surprised you'd remember me. I'm flattered," they hear the voice of the man they talked to earlier from one of the Vipers.

"Wait a minute, that's the guy we talked to earlier. Is he one of these viper bandits?" Grace asks.

"I see now. They have one of their goons scout out potential targets in the town, then wait for the battle to begin. After the battle is over and the teams weaken each other, then they strike the winner in an ambush while they're vulnerable. Bunch of cowardly punks," Sarah figures it out.

"Goon? I'm the leader. That's just insulting. The ZBC babies the zoid battles too much. They have no idea what a real battle is about. Well, we'll show them, and we'll do that by starting with you guys. All units, let them have it," the leader yells out.

All Stealth Vipers begin firing off their Vulcan guns at the two. Explosions ring out as the two are forced on the defensive.

"Ahhh! Come on Geno, we need to make an opening. Use your new weapons!" Sarah yells.

The Geno Ritter engages its swords and then fires off the laser guns on them at a few of the Vipers, taking them out and giving Sarah and Grace a chance to get out of the ambush.

"Sarah, what should we do?!" Grace asks while firing off her machineguns.

"Well, I'm not letting these guys scare us off-Ahhh!" Sarah says before the Geno Ritter takes another hit. "Why you bastards!" she yells.

The Geno Ritter uses its thrusters to race across the sand. As it comes close, it swings its blades at a few Vipers, but the smaller zoids dive back into the sand to avoid them. Meanwhile, the Spinosapper fires off its missile launchers. The missiles manage to take out two of them, but the rest retreat into the sand as well. A moment later, they come back up at different positions and start firing off their Vulcan guns again.

"Damn it. Every time we try to hit them, they go back underground. At this rate, they'll take us out before we can take all of them down!" Grace says.

The Spinosapper fires off its guns at the sand, but none of the shots seem to draw out the Vipers. A moment later, three more pop out from Grace's flanks and rear and fire away on her, forcing her to move away while taking a few more hits. Meanwhile, Sarah's Geno Ritter fires off its guns, taking down another Viper while two more retreat into the sand.

"I can't use Geno's charged particle cannon because that would leave me wide open. I don't know how much longer we can take this," Sarah mutters.

One Viper comes out from the side, but the Geno Ritter manages to cut it down with its blades. However, the attack leaves it open on its rear for another Viper to come out and prepares to attack. Sarah glances back in slow motion as the attack is about to hit…Until a shot rings out and blows the Stealth Viper away. Sarah looks shocked by the save, and looks to see if it was Grace that saved her, but it's not.

"Time to clean up this mess. Let's go Jaguar," a new male voice says.

Sarah sees a new zoid rush into the battle. The zoid is white and blue and around the same size as the Spinosapper. It looks to have a pair of twin beam cannons on the back in gold, and has a pair of short blades on the sides and on the tail.

"Wait a minute…That's a Bravejaguar," Sarah mutters. The Bravejaguar races across the sand, firing off its twin beam cannons at a few Vipers, taking them out and clearing the way for Sarah's Geno Ritter. "Look at that thing move," she mutters.

"Hello! I could use some help here!" Grace yells as she gets forced on the defensive by enemy gun fire.

"Coming in behind you!" she hears and sees the Bravejaguar jump over her, firing off its cannons at a few more Vipers. When it lands, one Viper tries to attack from behind, but its head gets sliced off by the tail-mounted blade of the Jaguar.

"Hey, who are you?!" Grace yells.

"Watch out. Two Vipers are about to come out from your rear," the male pilot says before running off to fight the other zoids.

"Huh?" Grace mutters but looks back, just in time to see two Vipers pop out of the sand. "Ha, there you are!" she says and attacks them with her chainsaws, slicing them in half. "Yes, gotcha…Wait, how'd that guy know where they'd come up?" she mutters.

Back with Sarah, she fires off the Geno Ritter's grappling claws to pull two Vipers towards it and then fires off its laser guns to take them out. Pulling back the claws, Sarah looks around to see only a few more Vipers left.

"We had all of our forces here, and there are only three of them. How could this have happened?!" the leader says.

"It's because a bunch of punks like you only attack like this because you know you can't win a real zoid battle. Your bandit days are over," the Bravejaguar pilot says.

"Why you little-!" the leader yells and fires off his guns at the white zoid.

The Bravejaguar roars and maneuvers around each shot with ease as it nears its prey.

"Let's go partner…" the pilots mutters as the Bravejaguar starts to glow around the front legs. "Strike Laser Claw!" he yells as the zoid jumps up and then slashes at the zoid with its powered up claws. The Viper goes down fast and the Bravejaguar roars in victory. "Checkmate," the pilot mutters.

"Boss!" the few remaining Viper pilots start to panic.

"Oh boys," they hear and look to see the Geno Ritter with its charged particle cannon out and ready to fire. "This is what happens when you mess with my team. Geno Ritter, fire!" Sarah yells. The Geno Ritter fires at the Vipers. They try to hide in the sand, but the attack is so strong that it blows them away, even when underground as they fly out of the sand and crash back onto the surface. "And that appears to be that," Sarah mutters while her partner roars.

"Sarah, you okay?" she looks back to see Grace and her Spinosapper approach her.

"I'm fine Grace. Thanks. How are you and your Spinosapper?" Sarah asks.

"I'm fine, though my Spinosapper took some hits. It'll need some repairs. Anyway, who was that that saved us?" Grace asks.

"Huh?" Sarah says and looks around, only to see the Bravejaguar already gone. "Hey, where did he go?" she mutters.

…

Not too long after that, an investigation team sent by the zoids battle commission arrives to the battlefield after they lost the signal from the judge that got knocked out. Seeing the mess made, they arrest all the bandits that got beat and retrieved the judge capsule. After that, they leave, much to the annoyance of Grace.

"Well, that was a total bust. We win the battle, then a bunch of bandits come in and mess up the place, and damage our zoids. We beat them, and then the ZBC don't even give us a reward for doing their dirty work. Come on, we did them a huge favor, here! They could've at least given us some kind of reward," Grace complains.

"There's no point in crying about it now. We at least still get the points and the prize money since we won the battle before the bandits attacked. But…" Sarah trails off as she looks at their zoids. "It looks like we'll need to use most of it for repairs. So, we really didn't get much today besides another win on our record and some individual points. Still, it could've been much worse if that Bravejaguar hadn't shown up when it did. It's too bad they left before we could say anything," she says.

"Yeah, again, who was that anyway? I don't remember seeing any Bravejaguars at the local zoids institute back in town. Was he following us, maybe?" Grace asks.

"I don't know. What I do know…is that I hope we'll meet that mystery warrior again soon. I have a few questions for them when we do," Sarah notes with a smirk.

…

A good distance away from where Sarah and Grace are, the Bravejaguar rests while its pilot stands outside the zoid, watching them with a pair of binoculars.

"Heh, I knew this would be interesting. Well, better get going then," the pilot says before he walks away back to his zoid.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah and Grace get into some trouble, only to be saved a by a mystery zoid warrior and his Bravejaguar. Sarah continues to meet more and more characters throughout her journey. Who knows what will happen next? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	8. Chapter 8: They're Back

**Here we are at Chapter 8. I think it's time for a visit from some old non-friends. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 8. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: They're back**

"So, pull up any info on the pilot of that Bravejaguar?" Sarah asks as she drives the Gustav.

After the whole mess with the Viper bandits, Sarah and Grace had to use half of their winnings from previous battles to repair their zoids. Now, they're on their way to the next town in preparation for their next battle.

Grace works on her zoid gear, "Unfortunately, no. There don't appear to be any teams that have a Bravejaguar on their team, and I checked all the zoid battle classes," Grace replies.

"What about mercenaries. Did you check that?" Sarah asks again.

"I've been looking, but haven't found much about any zoid mercenaries that help teams out and also pilot a Bravejaguar…I was, however, able to find a few news reports about a Bravejaguar taking out bandit groups throughout the continent. No one's ever seen the pilot's face, so there's no picture I.D. to go with it, but reports say it's definitely a male around our age. Strange how I'm only getting things that involve him going after bandit groups. Wonder what that's all about?" Grace says.

"Who knows? The ZBC hasn't tried to apprehend him or recruit him in any way?" Sarah asks.

"From what I've been able to find, which isn't much honestly, it seems like they're aware of this guy, but because he hasn't really done anything wrong, and actually seems to be helping with the bandit problems these days, they've basically turned a blind eye to him. The locals haven't had anything bad to say about him either. And then of course, there's the fact that he disappears as quickly as he shows up and does a pretty good job of covering his trail. A little mysterious, really," Grace notes.

"Well, hopefully we'll meet up with that guy again. I was hoping to recruit him to our team. We've won all our battles so far. Only a few more wins and we'll be able to get into class B. The battles there will be more intense, and we'll need more than just the two of us to get the job done," Sarah says, but then hears the Geno Ritter roar outside. "Sorry, I mean the three of us," she corrects herself.

"So, what do we do now? We don't know when our next battle will be scheduled," Grace notes.

"Same as before: move on to the next town, look for possible recruits, and get ready for our next battle," Sarah replies.

"And how far is the next town?" Grace asks.

"About a day and a half drive from here, so we'll have to camp out for the night along the way," Sarah replies.

The drive remains quiet for the next few hours. However, as the sun sets and the moon begins to rise, Sarah and Grace notice a large explosion a distance away to the side of the road.

"What was that?" Grace asks.

"An explosion. Seems like a zoid battle may be going on. Check to see who's fighting," Sarah says as she stops the Gustav.

Grace looks through her zoid gear, but her eyes widen a bit, "There's…no battle set to take place right now, nor anywhere near here," she says.

Sarah feels a red flag come up now, "Then we'd better check it out. There could be people that need help," she says as she guns it and the Gustav heads straight for the explosion.

Soon enough, they find the signs of a battle littered all around them, from smoke plumes to zoid parts. And yet, something doesn't feel right. The amount of destruction here seems to extreme, even for a zoid battle. Sarah eventually stops her Gustav.

"We'd better go the rest of the way in our zoids," Sarah says before she and Grace get out and load up in their zoids. Walking through the battlefield, Sarah notices her Geno Ritter tense up a bit for some reason, just like her. "I know Geno, I know. I don't like it either," she mutters.

"Sarah, look over there!" Grace yells over the comms.

Sarah looks to find a trio of Command Wolves, only they've been ripped to pieces. Body parts are scattered all over the place. Sarah knows that zoid battles are intense, but this is too much. Looking around, she quickly finds the pilots of the Wolves out on the desert floor.

"There's the pilots!" Sarah yells and quickly leaves the cockpit to check on them, picking one up a bit. "Hey, hang in there. Tell me what happened," Sarah asks.

The pilot groans in pain a bit before he barely opens his eyes, "…Lured into…trap…They wiped us out…No mercy…Didn't even take our parts…Just wanted us toast," the pilot weakly speaks before he passes out again.

"Hey, come on, hang in there!" Sarah yells, only to get distracted when her Geno Ritter starts roaring and behaving a little erratically. "Geno, what's wrong?" she asks.

"Sarah, look at that," Grace calls out from her Spinosapper.

Sarah looks ahead to see the letters 'NBG' burned into the side of one large boulder.

"NBG? What is that supposed to mean?" Sarah mutters.

Just then, a charged particle beam fires out of nowhere, aimed directly at them. The Geno Ritter jumps out of the way while Sarah ducks low with the injured pilot.

"Sarah, get back in Geno Ritter, now! Something's coming!" Grace yells.

Sarah drags the pilot behind his destroyed Command Wolf and then hops back into Geno's cockpit. Looking into the shadows, she sees one large zoid-like figure appear, or at least the dark outline of it, along with a pair of glowing red eyes staring right back at her.

"…New prey…but the hunt is over for tonight…You get to live…for now," she hears a male voice over the open comm channel, and then the zoid turns and walks away.

"Hey, get back here!" Sarah yells and fires off her laser guns. The shots seem to hit the mysterious zoid, but when the dust settles, the zoid has disappeared completely, only to be replaced by a group of black Rev Raptors taking his place. "Huh, where'd he go?!" Sarah yells.

"Sarah, we can worry about that later. Right now, we need to finish these guys off fast and get these guys to a medical facility, now!" Grace tells her.

The Rev Raptors charge at the two warriors. Sarah has the Geno Ritter engage its blades. Two Raptors come at its sides, but the Geno swings its blades down on them, only for the Raptors to evade them at the lasts second. This surprises Sarah a bit, but she has no time as the two come at her again, with a third attacking from up front. They all engage their blades, and she notices that the blades are jagged in design, reversed, and not the usual sickle shape. The Geno Ritter activates its thrusters and spins around, swinging its tail and its blades at the three enemies. The tactic takes down two of them, but the third backs out at the last second. Sarah uses this chance to charge forth, thrusting Geno's head blade into the Rev Raptor through the neck. Flexing its head, the Geno Ritter beheads the Rev Raptor. Sarah looks back to see how Grace is doing, and finds her on the defensive.

Forced to act as a shield to protect the injured warriors of the Command Wolves, Grace uses her Spinosapper's chainsaws as shields while three Rev Raptors fire off their laser guns at her.

"Damn, they don't even care if these guys get caught in the crossfire. What is with these nut-jobs?!" Grace yells.

Just then, a forth black Rev Raptor comes from the rear and activates its blades. It runs at the injured pilots on the sand floor, and Grace soon notices, but can do nothing to help. The Rev Raptor is about to finish off the defeated warriors before the Geno Ritter uses its left blade to block its attack. It then launches its left grappling claw, latching onto the Rev Raptor, and delivers an electric shock to the zoid, doing enough damage to short out its systems. The Geno Ritter then engages its thrusters and flies past the Spinosapper to attack the remaining Rev Raptors. The Rev Raptors turn their attention to Sarah's zoid and fire off their laser guns at it instead of Grace. The Geno Ritter flies by the shots and clamps its jaws down on one Raptor, using its claws to tear it in half and throw the parts away. The remaining two engage their blades and run at the Geno Ritter, but the first gets taken out by a surprise barrage of gunfire from the Spinosapper, whom now had a chance to fight back. The last Rev Raptor continues its charge at the Geno Ritter, who retaliates with a barrage of gunfire. The Rev Raptor manages to avoid the shots, and gets close enough to attack with its blades. However, the Geno Ritter reaches out with its right claw and grabs the blade, pinning it in place. This gives Sarah the chance to use the Geno's right blade and slice off the right limbs and the blade of the Raptor, sending it crashing onto the ground.

Sarah breathes a sigh of relief, "That was too close. You okay Geno…Geno Ritter?" Sarah asks, but the Geno Ritter keeps its attention focused on where that one zoid that escaped had been earlier. Sarah turns her attention elsewhere, "Grace, you okay?" she calls out.

"Yeah, I'm okay. My Spinosapper is a little damaged, but nothing too serious," Grace replies.

"Good. What about the injured pilots?" Sarah asks.

"They're still alive…Barely. But we need to get them some help, and fast," Grace notes.

"Okay, let's get them into the Gustav, and get to the nearest town. You drive, and I'll remain in Geno in case we get attacked along the way. Let's hurry," Sarah says.

…

The drive to the nearest town, Paradon Town, wasn't too long, but it felt like hours to Sarah and Grace. Throughout the whole drive, the two female warriors were completely on edge, worried about being attacked along the way. Those warriors they fought with weren't normal pilots. Normal pilots wouldn't cause such destruction, nor would they go for the pilots of the destroyed zoids even after the battle was over. They weren't there to fight, they were there to maim. Luckily, they didn't get attacked during their journey, and were quickly able to get the injured pilots to a medical facility for treatment. After that, the authorities showed up and the girls gave their statements about the incident. After that, they returned to the Gustav to check on their zoids.

"Hey Geno, how you holding up?" Sarah asks her partner. The Geno Ritter growls a bit, but lowers its head to her so she can pet him. "I know, I feel on edge too. Those guys were tough, but not in a good way. It's like they didn't care if their opponents lived or died. I don't know about you, but that's not how I fight," Sarah says, and the Geno growls again. "Yeah…that first one made my stomach curl. Something felt…off about that guy. And then there was that 'NBG' symbol they left behind at the battle. What was the point of that, and what does NBG mean? I hope this doesn't end up being something completely crazy," she says as she pets the Geno Ritter a little more. Just then, Grace walks up, and the Geno Ritter leans back. "Hey Grace, how's the Spinosapper looking?" she asks.

"A little dinged up, like I said earlier, but it shouldn't take too long to fix up. Luckily, Spinosappers are durable. I'm more concerned about those Rev Raptors we fought against. They're pilots were more skilled than any class C warriors we've fought in the past, and they're weapons were custom-made too. That requires both connections and cash. Not to mention that I've never seen a group of black Rev Raptors before. They had to be at least on the level of class B warriors. You think they were the ones that tore up those Command Wolves?" Grace asks.

'If not, they were at least part of the chaos. I'm more concerned about the one that got away. Whatever that zoid was, it was enough to even put Geno on edge, and that has never happened since I first met him," Sarah notes.

"The pilot said something about this being a hunt, and prey as well. You think he was some kind of mercenary or a bandit?" Grace asks, remembering the few words the pilot of the mystery zoid said.

"A bandit, maybe, but a mercenary, I don't think so. Even if they were getting paid for attacking that one team, that was too much of a massacre for a simple mercenary job. And if they keep something like that up, they'll catch the eyes of the ZBC and the authorities. I can't see a profitable gain from all that chaos," Sarah theorizes.

Grace sighs, "So what should we do now?" she asks.

"It's late. I really want to try and get some rest. Besides, we're already at the town and there are only a few more hours before the sun comes up. I'm exhausted," Sarah says, feeling the weight of the ordeal on her shoulders now that things have calmed down.

"Sounds good to me. We can figure out what to do next later," Grace agrees.

…

It is around noon when Sarah and Grace finally wake up and look for a place to eat. However, they can't really focus on their food much when their minds are still stuck with the events that transpired the previous night.

"…So, have you found anything about that group that attacked us last night?" Grace asks while sipping some coffee.

Sarah shakes her head while looking over her zoid gear, "Nope. Nothing related to this group, the black Rev Raptors, the NBG symbol. I can't find anything. Either these guys were just born yesterday, or someone's trying to keep this under lock and key," she laments.

"Well, that bites. I guess for now we focus on getting our zoids ready for our next battle. My Spinosapper took some damage. At least your Geno Ritter didn't take much damage," Grace notes.

"I guess you're right. I just hope things don't get even crazier than they are now," Sarah notes.

…

"…You just HAD to say it, didn't you," Grace says accusingly to Sarah…as they and their zoids are suddenly surrounded by members of the Zoid Battle Commission, all locked and loaded in their Gojulas Cannons, and their weapons aimed at them.

Quickly enough, the Geno Ritter roars and engages its blades, ready to fight.

"Geno, no, you can't fight these guys!" Sarah tries to stop her partner. _"If he attacks them now, not only will we be banned from zoid battles, but we may even face jail time!"_

"All of you, stand down!" they hear a voice call out and look to see an older man with short brown hair, brown eyes with a scar above the left eye, and in a ZBC uniform walking up to them, along with a few soldiers walking behind him. "I apologize for my men. They've been a bit on edge lately," the man says before Geno Rotter roars at him.

"Geno, please, calm down!" Sarah yells as she focuses on her partner.

"I think you should call off your guard dogs before her partner decides to eat all of them for lunch," Grace warns him.

"I see…Well, what are you waiting for, I told you to stand down!" the man yells, and his troops lower their weapons and back off. Seeing this, the Geno Ritter calms down enough for Sarah to keep him from attacking them. "Well, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Roderick Smith, second-in-command of the Zoid Battle Commission. I am here because those of us in the ZBC would like to have a word with the members of Team Lockhart," Roderick says.

"I'm Sarah, this is Grace, and this is my partner, Geno Ritter. What does the ZBC want with us?" Sarah asks.

"I can't discuss that. At least not here anyway. I need you to come with us. It's important," Roderick says before he begins to walk off. Sarah and Grace begin to follow him, but when the Geno Ritter joins them, the soldiers get on edge again. "We'll have a transport for your zoids come by shortly. They'll have to wait," he says.

"Sorry, but where I go, Geno goes. And if I leave him alone, then there's nothing stopping him from attacking your soldiers. I'm saying this because I don't want them to get hurt," Sarah explains, and her partner roars behind her.

Roderick sighs, "Very well. Just keep him under control," he says before walking away.

…

After getting onto a Whale King, they group head straight for the ZBC headquarters, which is stationed in an Ultrasaurus zoid. The plan was to have Sarah and Grace enter the zoid and follow Roderick, but the Geno Ritter was so on edge at the site that Sarah worried that he would go off once she left, so they had no choice but to have the meeting outside the Ultrasaurus.

"It's okay Geno. I'm right here with you," Sarah calms him down, petting him as they wait for the chief to arrive. Soon enough, the chief of the ZBC shows up, walking towards the group, an old man with gray hair and a long beard, wearing the ZBC uniform with a little sash around the shoulders. "You must be the chief of the Zoid Battle Commission. I'm Sarah Lockhart, and this is my partner Geno Ritter," Sarah greets him.

"Yo, the name's Grace Flintwood," Grace adds.

"Yes, I am already familiar with you two. Two upstarts that have been making a name for themselves in the lower rankings. I am Chief Morgan Eisenhower of the ZBC. I thank you for coming all this way," the chief says.

"So, what do you want to talk to us about?" Grace asks.

"It's about the group that attacked that one team you saved the other night. This is top secret, but this isn't the first time this has happened. We've been tracking their attacks in order to apprehend them, but have come up short every time. They attack zoid battle teams and annihilate their zoids without remorse. Don't even bother stripping them of parts, and have left pilots seriously hurt or worse," the chief explains.

"That's horrible. Just who are these guys?" Sarah asks.

The Chief hums a bit, "…They call themselves the Neo Backdraft Group…"

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Things are now getting more serious, especially with a new and deadlier Backdraft Group rolling into town. Seems Sarah's team is getting into the thick of it now. Who was that mysterious pilot that escaped? What will happen to Sarah and her team now? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	9. Chapter 9: Change of Plans

**Here we are at Chapter 9. Feels like forever since I've been back in this story. I understand if the first few chapters were a little dry, but things should start to pick up a bit now. Sarah's journey is about to take a little twist now. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 9. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Change of Plans**

"The Neo Backdraft Group? I thought the Backdraft Group was history after the Royal Cup," Sarah notes.

"That's what we thought as well. After the BDG's failed coup during the Royal Cup, many of their members were caught and arrested. They lost many of their clients, some of which we've been able to connect their dealings with the BDG and arrest them as well. However, there were portions of the organization that managed to elude our forces. They remained quiet for a short time, but have recently renewed their operations. However, this group have drastically changed their tactics. Previously, they would take over a sanctioned match and force zoid teams into unsanctioned battles where the stakes were the teams' zoids. Now though, they don't even care about trying to take over the matches. They've become more ruthless; attacking zoid teams without any warning or provocation, and leave the zoids in shambles and the pilots, critically injured. They've mainly been attacking the teams in the lower ranks, keeping their distance from the teams in class A and above. We've been trying to keep things quiet and handle the situation before things get out of hand, but that has become increasingly difficult. That brings me to you two," Chief Eisenhower explains.

"What do you mean us?" Grace asks.

"Your team is the first team to encounter this Neo BDG and survive without much damage. You have seen them in action, and live to tell the tale. We need more skilled pilots like you to help track down and apprehend these criminals. Our forces are spread thin throughout the continent, and we simply need help," the Chief asks.

"Wait, are you saying that you want us to join the Zoids Battle Commission?" Sarah asks.

"Not in that capacity, and not forever. But, yes, I am asking you to join us and help track down the Neo BDG," the Chief replies.

"But we're a class C team. We haven't even been a team for very long. Wouldn't it be better to ask another team with more skill and experience, like the teams in class A?" Sarah asks.

"Yes, we have thought about them. However, the most skilled teams in class A are well known, and would make people start raising questions should they suddenly join the Battle Commission or disappear for missions. As I have said before, we're trying to keep this quiet so people won't fall into a panic. After the fiasco with the Royal Cup, we need to be more cautious. That's why we are going with a lower ranked team with the skills needed to get the job done. You have certainly made a name for yourself, Miss Lockhart, when you discovered the Geno Ritter, but the fact remains that people are more focused on the battles in the upper classes. I believe that your team may be the most qualified for this assignment. However, I won't force you into this if you don't believe you're up to the task. That is why I will give you some time to think on this matter. We will speak again-," the Chief says until they hear a loud explosion that causes the area to shake.

"What was that?!" Grace yells.

"Oh no, I think I have a good idea," Sarah mutters with worry.

Running around the Ultrasaurus, they come across a disaster in front of them. They see a few zoids sprawled out across the desert floor, with the Geno Ritter standing in the center of the chaos, roaring into the sky. More troops start to surround the rampaging zoid, along with a squad of Dark Horns fully prepared to use deadly force if need be.

"What's going on here?!" the Chief asks on soldier.

"I don't know sir. We were going to run some scans and tests on the Geno Ritter in order to collect data, but as soon as we got close with our equipment, the zoid just went crazy. We're getting ready to subdue it now," Roderick replies.

"No, you can't. He's just not comfortable around other people!" Sarah says before she runs off to stop her zoid from destroying the place. "Geno, you have to calm down! These people aren't going to hurt you! Please stop!" she yells as she runs closer to her partner.

The Geno Ritter roars and activates its blades, preparing to attack the Dark Horns that are stalking around it. One gets too close from behind, and the Geno Ritter swings its tail around to knock it to the ground. The rest decide to attack, but this only angers the Geno Ritter further. Sarah's partner swings its blades around, slicing off the left legs of one Dark Horn, and then impales its blades through the body of a second. The remaining two Dark horns fire off their weapons, but the Geno Ritter engages its thrusters and flies by to evade the shots. The two Dark horns fire off some missiles at their opponent. The Geno Ritter soars across the sand with the missiles hot on its tail. Sarah can only watch as her partner flies by, heading back towards its opponents. When it gets close, the Geno Ritter jumps onto the back of one Dark Horn before jumping off, causing a few missiles to collide with the Dark Horn instead of their intended target. The Geno Ritter then spins around and swings its blades to slice through the remaining three missiles, making them explode in mid-air. It then turns its attention to the last Dark Horn, which starts to back up in fear. Just as the Geno Ritter is about to attack, Sarah finally gets the chance to intervene.

"Geno, please stop!" Sarah screams as she runs in front of her partner. The Geno Ritter stops and stares at her, still growling a bit. "Geno, these people are not your enemy. Please, you have to calm down. They mean you no harm," Sarah tries to calm her partner down.

"Aw, why stop it now. The party's just starting," they hear and look up to see another zoid jump off the side of the Ultrasaurus and land between the Geno Ritter and the lone Dark Horn. The dust settles, revealing the zoid to be a Bravejaguar. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Team Lockhart?" the pilot of the Bravejaguar says.

"Wait a minute! That's the zoid that helped us against those Viper bandits a while back," Grace notes.

"Flattered that you'd remember me. Now then…" the pilot says before his Bravejaguar lowers its body, ready to pounce at the Geno Ritter.

The Geno Ritter growls as it readies its blades, worrying Sarah once again.

"Geno, now is not the time to fight! Please, just calm down!" Sarah pleads.

"That's enough!" the Chief yells out, getting everyone's attention. "Now then, before things get even more hectic, I suggest we calm down and start over. I apologize for my men's actions. It seems like your partner's sensitivity to strangers is a little high," the Chief notes.

 _"Oh, just a wee bit do ya think?"_ Grace mentally deadpans as she glances at the destruction around them.

"He doesn't really like people much, but he wouldn't attack unless he was provoked or felt threatened. Please, he didn't mean to do it!" Sarah defends her partner.

The Chief hums as he stares at the Geno Ritter, the zoid still growling at everyone around it other than Sarah.

"Men, return to your stations. There's no need to gather any data on Miss Lockhart's zoid anytime soon. That's an order. Take the injured to the medical bay and get those damaged zoids in for repairs," Eisenhower orders.

"But sir, that thing destroyed four of our zoids and attacked our men! We have to apprehend it!" Roderick retorts.

"You want to subdue a powerful zoid that laid waste to four of our zoids, all piloted by experienced warriors? Be my guest, but I won't step in to save you," Eisenhower suggest, causing Roderick to gulp as he glances at the angry Geno Ritter. "I didn't think so. Now then, Special Agent Wilson, would you kindly exit your zoid and introduce yourself. I think there's been enough excitement for one day," he says.

"You always have to go and ruin the fun," the Bravejaguar pilot says before the zoid leans down and opens its cockpit. A young man jumps out of the zoid and waves to the group. "Yo," he greets them.

The man has spikey silver hair, with golden eyes and a slightly tanned complexion. He stands a little taller than Sarah, and is wearing a grey and black jacket open leather jacket with shoulder pads. Under the jacket is a tight-fitting white shirt. He has on a pair of blue jeans and black boots, along with a pair of black fingerless gloves on his hands.

"Ladies, this is Colt Wilson, a special agent within the Battle Commission," Eisenhower introduces the pilot.

"Pleasure to meet you ladies," Colt salutes to them as he walks over. However, the Geno Ritter starts to get agitated again as he gets too close. "Mind calling off your zoid? I don't feel like getting squished today," he says.

Sarah pays him no mind, but focuses on her Geno Ritter anyway, "Geno, it's okay. Just take a breath and calm down. I'm right here," Sarah says gently as she raises her hands to her partner. The Geno Ritter turns its attention back to Sarah, and eventually deactivates its weapons and head armor. It lowers its head to Sarah can gently pet it, calming the zoid down. "That's right, just focus on me. Don't worry about anything or anyone else. Just focus on the sound of my voice," Sarah soothes her partner's anger.

The Geno Ritter purrs a bit and everyone else calms down.

Grace then joins the group, "Okay, back on topic, you're a member of the ZBC?" she asks Colt.

"Surprise," Colt replies.

"Mr. Wilson joined us a while back, and quickly proved his skills as a zoid warrior. We've given him the task of dealing with bandit groups across the continent, apprehending those criminals when they interfere with the public and official zoid battles. However, we've also had him search for information relating to the Neo Backdraft Group. I believe you three have met before," Eisenhower explains.

"Yeah, he helped us out against those bandits that were using Stealth Vipers one time. We would've been in serious trouble if he didn't show up. We tried finding information on him, but couldn't really find anything," Grace says.

"That's because we've been keeping his data classified. He's a zoid warrior, but not one registered for the official battles, unlike you two," Eisenhower states.

"They wanted to keep me all to themselves because of how cool I am," Colt says, stroking his hair back a bit.

Sarah deadpans, "Is he always like this?" she mutters.

"Anyway, I suggest we all take some time to rest. You and Miss Flintwood are welcome to stay here as our guests until you've come to a decision regarding my offer earlier. As you were," Eisenhower says before he and his men take their leave.

"See you ladies later," Colt says before leaving as well.

However, Eisenhower glances back at the Geno Ritter, _"There's only one reason for a zoid to explode like that when people get too close…A terrible history with humans…"_

Meanwhile, Sarah and Grace discuss Eisenhower's offer.

"So, what do you think about what the Chief said?" Grace asks.

"I don't know. All I've wanted to do is become a skilled zoid warrior and one day face off against the Blitz Team, but joining the ZBC would possibly take me away from that goal. But at the same time, to know that a group worse than the Backdraft Group is out there, hurting people without remorse and threatening the very essence of the zoid battles, it makes we want to do something about it and stop them. I just don't know what I should do. It's not exactly an easy decision," Sarah laments.

"Well, if there's one thing my father taught me, it's that the most important decisions in life are never easy. Just know that whatever happens, I got your back," Grace notes.

"Thanks Grace," Sarah replies.

…

Meanwhile, in the cockpit of the Ultrasaurus, the Chief speaks with his people.

"So, have you anything to report on your search for the members of the Neo Backdraft Group, Agent Wilson?" the Chief asks.

"Nope. I've searched every battlefield they've been in, and interviewed any zoid pilot that was lucky enough to survive the encounter and talk again, but I've come up with little information for it. The pilots that were still in good enough shape to talk said that they attacked at night, used modified zoids, and were highly skilled. However, another thing they had in common was that the supposed leader of the attack force of the NBG was always describing the battle like a hunt, and that they were the prey. He always stuck to the shadows so no one could get a good look at his zoid. All they can say is that it's big, has red glowing eyes, and is powerful. Not much to go off of with just that though. That and I've been a little busy dealing with some smaller bandit groups. At these with those guys, I can report on a mission completed," Colt reports.

The Chief hums, "Hmm, I see. Thank you for your efforts, Agent Wilson," the Chief replies.

"Sir, this is becoming a bigger problem every day. The Neo Backdraft Group is getting bolder with their attacks. I've counted nearly a dozen lower ranked teams put out of commission because of them. Because of that, battles have had to either be rescheduled or cancelled. People are starting to get a little worried. We also have little information on both the members of the attackers and whoever may be backing them. Do you think it was one of the clients that managed to escape our eyes?" Roderick suggests.

"We have too little information at this time to know whether or not that is the case. We need more information," Chief Eisenhower notes.

"Well, what about those black Rev Raptors the Lockhart Team took down. Did the pilots sing or what?" Colt asks.

"They haven't sung, spit, mumbled…or breathe for that matter," Roderick replies.

"What do you mean?" Colt asks.

"They each had a small vile of poison hidden in their mouths. As soon as they were captured, they each broke the vial, swallowed the poison, and died foaming at the mouth. They had no intention of talking to us, and were fully prepared to sacrifice themselves to do so," Eisenhower says.

Colt grimaces a bit, "Damn, talk about loyalty," he mutters.

"The old Backdraft Group never employed tactics like this when they were in business. They never really saw themselves as criminals, and would only take over official battles, not destroy them before they even began. There's just something we're missing here," Eisenhower states.

"Well, what about those informants you told me about. Do they know anything about this?" Colt asks.

"Unfortunately no. While they were high up in the Backdraft Group hierarchy, even they didn't know everything there was to know going on in the organization. That's what makes this even more troubling," Roderick answers.

"Okay, so now what?" Colt asks.

"That, Agent Colt, is a good question," Eisenhower says. Just then, the doors to the room open up and in walks Sarah and Grace. "Miss Lockhart. Miss Flintwood. Have you come to a decision regarding my request?" he asks.

"We have, and we've decided…that we'll accept your offer. We'll help you take down this Neo Backdraft Group," Sarah says.

"I see. I thank you for agreeing to help us. You are very brave to accept such a difficult task," Eisenhower notes.

"Honestly, I'm still not sure what I should do. It's been my dream to one day face off against the Blitz Team, and Bit Cloud and his Liger Zero. But, if the NBG makes it so there can be no more official zoid battles, then I'll never get the chance to face them. So we'll help you. Just…make sure your people keep their distance from Geno. I don't want what happened earlier to happen again," Sarah says.

"Of course, and thank you again for your cooperation. I can assure you that you'll have the ZBC's full support in this operation," Eisenhower says.

"So, what do you want us to do first?" Grace asks.

"We need you to search for members of the Neo Backdraft Group. The best way to do that is to keep up with your zoid battle progress. If your team was to suddenly disappear, it would raise suspicions. You're the first to survive one of their attacks, so it's likely that they may come for you. Because of that reason, we'll be assigning Colt Wilson here to join your team," Eisenhower says, stunning the girls and Roderick.

"Wait, what?! Sir, you can't be serious?" Roderick asks.

"Eh, makes no difference to me," Colt notes.

"I am quite serious Roderick. They'll need all the help they can get, and Colt can't fight these criminals by himself, despite his skills. Therefore, he'll become a part of the Lockhart Team," Eisenhower notes.

Colt walks up to the girls and offers his left hand, "Pleasure to be working with ya," he says.

Sarah eventually takes the hand, but still remains a little defensive, "…Likewise," she replies.

…

After the three teenagers leave, the two adults start another conversation.

"Sit, pardon me, but are you sure we can thrust Sarah Lockhart? In case you'd forgotten, her zoid attacked our men for no good reason. Who knows what that thing is capable of?" Roderick asks.

"But it was provoked, even if we didn't mean any harm to it. That zoid is intelligent, similar to the Liger Zero and the Berserk Fury. What's more, the fact that a Geno Ritter, a zoid thought to have been lost to the sands of time, would show up at a time like this. I don't believe in coincidence. However, we do need to try and learn more about it, where it came from, and why it seems to hate humans so much. But, that will have to wait until another time," Eisenhower explains.

…

Meanwhile, at an unknown location, a figure clouded in shadow looks over his zoid gear.

"Soon enough, the next hunt will begin. Right partner?" he mutters as he looks up to see a large, dark zoid with red eyes growl in response.

All the while, his zoid gear shows a picture of the Lockhart Team.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Things are starting to get a little more serious around here, as Sarah and Grace join the ZBC in their fight against the NBG. Meanwhile, questions about the Geno Ritter's origins are being raised, and someone has set their sight son Sarah's team. Will Sarah and her friends be ready for what awaits them? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	10. Chapter 10: Business as usual?

**Here we are at Chapter 10. Now that Team Lockhart has joined up with the ZBC, let's see how things play out from there. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 10. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Business as usual?**

After leaving the ZBC headquarters, along with their new 'teammate' Colt Wilson, Sarah and Grace head out to begin their mission. Since this Neo Backdraft Group is targeting zoid teams, and they've already survived one of their attacks, Sarah and Grace believe that if they can make enough of an impact, it might draw them out. As for Colt, he was just along for the ride. However, finding the perfect scenario for this impact will be easier said and done. That, and...

"Mind explaining to me why your Geno Ritter as still staring at me...and growling at me?" Colt asks from his own Gustav riding next to Sarah's, this one painted white and gold.

Sarah and Grace glance back, seeing that the Geno Ritter has been keeping his eyes on their new travelling companion since they left the Ultrasaurus zoid, looking like he could attack at any minute.

"You get used to it...Probably," Grace replies, muttering the last part, and making Sarah sigh. "They only one he doesn't growl at is Sarah," she notes.

"That's because I'm special," Sarah replies with a smile.

Grace glances away, "Yeah, that's the reason," she mutters.

"Okay, so aside from trying to keep your partner from eating me, what's the plan for getting the NBG to come after us?" Colt asks.

"Well, normal battles may not be enough at this point to really make any progress. Sure, when I first started fighting with Geno, I got some buzz going around. However, like all things, people quickly move on to something else. Besides, we're still in class C; not quite the area that gets all the cameras. We either need to get our rank up, which may take too long, or we need to find some kind of special event or something that plenty of people will be watching," Sarah explains.

"Okay, so what kind of event are we looking for?" Grace asks.

"...I have no idea," Sarah replies, making Grace hang her head.

Colt chuckles, "Well, I could see what kind of events the ZBC will be hosting soon and see which might be worth checking out. It'll take a little time though," Colt says.

"I thought you were a member of the ZBC?" Grace asks.

"Yes, but I'm basically a few levels higher than a grunt. Not a lot of wiggle room in the administration and setup for events. Plus, I've been kind of undercover as a free agent zoid warrior. Not like I get too many messages from them unless it's to tell me to do something. Welcome to my world," Colt replies.

"Alright, for now let's just head to the next town, set up there and figure out our next move," Sarah says, with the other two agreeing.

…

Once they reach the nearest town, Colt exits his Gustav and walks over to Sarah's Gustav. He's now wearing some regular attire: a brown vest over a black short-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and some hiking boots. However, as he gets close, the two girls notice.

"Hold up, Colt. Give us a minute while we get changed," he hears Sarah yell out from inside.

Colt turns around, hands resting behind his head, and waits. However, he glances back a bit, trying to peer through the glass hood of the Gustav's head to sneak a peek. However, the second he does so, something big stomps near him and he looks back to see the Geno Ritter staring down at him, growling as its head armor folds down. Inside the Gustav, the girls finish getting their normal attire on, only to hear loud noise and feel the ground shaking like crazy.

"What's going on out here?!" Grace yells as she and Sarah get out...only to see Colt running from a mad Geno Ritter chasing him and trying to catch him in its jaws. "What the Hell?!" she yells.

"I could use some help here, girls!" Colt shouts as he rolls under the Geno's mouth and then jumps out of the way of its left foot.

"What did you do, Colt?!" Sarah yells.

"Me?! I didn't do anything!" Colt yells as he jumps away from the Geno Ritter once again.

"Well, obviously you did something to piss him off!" Grace yells as she notices some people starting to watch the spectacle, although from a safe distance.

"I'll I did was just walk near your Gustav after I got out of mine, and then he went ballistic!" Colt replies, still running.

It doesn't take long for Sarah to put the pieces together, "...Ah! You peeping tom! No wonder Geno is angry. What is wrong with you?!" she yells.

"Dude, that's seriously messed up," Grace notes, hands on her hips.

"Look, I'm sorry. It was an accident. Can you just get your zoid to stop trying to EAT me?!" Colt pleads as he slides under a swing of the Geno Ritter's tail.

"What do you think?" Sarah asks.

"I'd say let him run for a while longer," Grace replies.

Seeing as how he isn't getting any help from them, Colt runs around the Geno Ritter, making his way to his Bravejaguar on the back of his Gustav. However, the Geno Ritter jumps up and lands in between Colt and his zoid.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Colt mutters as he slowly steps back.

The Geno Ritter growls as it steps closer, about to attack until Sarah suddenly pat him on the left leg.

"Alright, Geno. That's enough playing around for right now. We're starting to make a bit of a scene," Sarah says, glancing to some onlookers off to the side. "Come on, let's finish getting settle in and fine a place to eat. Don't eat anyone while we're gone Geno," Sarah says, being able to calm her partner down.

"You think you could've done that five minutes ago?" Colt asks, a little pissed at almost being Geno's chew toy.

"That's what you get for trying to sneak a peek at us while we're changing. Unless you want to die, I suggest you don't do that again, and get moving," Grace says as she walks away, followed by Sarah.

Colt glances between them and the Geno Ritter before deciding to follow their advice and move on before they change their mind.

"I can see how this mission is gonna turn out in the end," Colt mutters.

…

After the situation calmed down, the trio head into the city to a local diner to eat and to figure out their next move. While the girls are on one side of a table, Colt sits on the other (for obvious reasons).

"How long are you two gonna be mad at me again? I said I was sorry," Colt asks, swishing his drink around a bit.

"Not anytime soon," Grace deadpans. "So, got anything big coming up that we can participate in?" she asks Sarah.

Sarah looks through her zoid gear, "I don't know. Most of what I'm finding so far is just small, regular matches. Those won't help," she replies.

Meanwhile, Colt is coming through his own zoid gear, only this one is a little bigger and appears more advanced.

"Hey, where'd you get a zoid gear like that?" Grace asks.

"There are a few perks to being a member of the ZBC. Anyway... how about this? There's supposed to be a battle royal event set to take place four days from now in Romeo City. That's about a day's drive from here. If we head out after we're done with lunch here, we can make it by some time tomorrow and still have a couple days to plan out how we're gonna win," Colt suggests.

"Huh, never been in a battle royal before. That could be fun," Grace notes.

"I agree. Plus, it would give plenty of opponents for Geno to take down. This way he won't have to occupy his time with eating Colt here," Sarah jokes.

"Ha-ha, very funny. But you won't be laughing when I tell you the stipulation for this battle royal," Colt retorts.

"What stipulation?" Sarah asks.

"The fact that any team from any class aside from class S are allowed to participate in this battle royal," Colt replies.

Now Sarah and Grace lose their smiles, "Wait, so you're saying that if we fight in this event, we may end up facing some of the very best zoid warrior teams of today?" Grace asks, getting worried.

"Yep. This is how the event is set up. Outside Romeo City, they have a huge abandoned urban site that's basically like one big maze. Twenty teams total can participate with no more than three members each. The battle continues until only four teams remain. Then, as a special addition in this year's battle royal, those four teams will fight one-on-one with each other in elimination-style match-ups until there is only one team left standing. The winner gets a trophy, a big cash prize, and pretty much bragging rights. And you can bet that this event will have plenty of people watching," Colt explains.

The girls take a moment to think about this, "So, we would help by getting our name out there with this one. However, that won't matter if we end up getting eliminated early by a team from a higher class than us," Grace notes.

"It's the best we got right now. Otherwise, we'll just be doing battle after battle until we get our rank up and start getting more publicity. During that time, who knows how many more people will get hurt by the NBG," Colt adds.

"Well, what do you think, Sarah?" Grace asks.

"Huh?" Sarah stutters.

"Hey, you're the leader of this team, so if you say we should go for it, then I'm game. It's up to you," Colt adds.

Sarah remains silent while the other two just stare at her in anticipation, _"We could try and win the battle royal, but that would mean risking a battle with a potentially skilled and experienced team from class B or class A. We're still only a rookie team and a loss could hurt our chances of getting higher in the rankings... No, this is what it means to be a zoid warrior. To fight with everything you've got, no matter who the opponent. And when I start thinking about it, the thought of getting the chance to face some of the best teams around... it gets my blood pumping,"_ Sarah thinks before she comes to a decision and looks at her teammates. "Let's do it. We have to get the NBG to come after us if we're gonna get more information out of them. If we back out from something like this now, then the only thing that does is prove that we don't deserve to be zoid warriors and we don't have what it takes to stop them. So again, I say let's do it," she decides.

Grace and Colt smile, "That's the Sarah I know," Grace notes.

"Fine be me. Sounds like this is going to be one hell of a ride," Colt adds.

Just then, Sarah's stomach growls, "B-but first we should get something to eat," she says, rubbing her head, and making the other two laugh a bit.

…

After getting something to eat, the group quickly leave town and begin making their way to Romeo City. Since it is already in the early afternoon, they'll have to set up camp later for the night and finish the trip early in the morning. Not much happens along the way and when they see the sun falling and the skies getting darker, the team find a spot off the side of the road to stop and set up camp. Grace and Colt are sitting by the campfire while Sarah is petting Geno Ritter for a bit before she joins them.

"So, has your partner calmed down now?" Grace asks as Sarah goes to sit next to her.

They glance back to see Geno still eyeing Colt, but at least he's not growling this time.

"As much as I could for now," Sarah sighs.

"It's weird, you know," Colt begins, getting their attention. "Geno Saurers are pretty rare these days, and are very hard to come by. However, Geno Ritters are thought to have been extinct long ago. It's weird how one managed to stay under the radar from human eyes for so long and then just pop up out of nowhere as the partner of some rookie zoid warrior. It sounds like something in a fairytale," he notes.

"Well, I did find him hiding out on Zi Mountain just outside my hometown. There are plenty of stories revolving around that place. A few about him, though because no one knew what he looked like, they just called him the 'phantom zoid'. I was surprised when I found out that he was the one that saved me," Sarah says.

"Wait, saved you? What do you mean?" Colt asks, curious.

"Well, I got attacked by this other team that I defeated in a battle, and they were looking for payback. They destroyed my old Gun Tiger zoid and almost killed me as I was trying to run away at Zi Mountain. As luck would have it, Geno was nearby and saved me by taking them down. After I recovered and went looking for him, I found him and managed to convince him to become my partner. We've been together ever since. Not long after that, we met Grace here and she joined the team after I helped her get out of a little jam," Sarah explains.

Grace giggles, "Yeah, and we kicked some butt, too. And then you basically know the rest, including us getting stuck with... whatever you are," she says, the last part aimed at Colt.

"Gee, thanks. I'm really feeling the love here," Colt sarcastically remarks.

"I could always sick Geno Ritter on you," Sarah playfully warns him.

Colt holds his hands up in surrender, "No thanks. One death dance with a hungry zoid is enough for me for one day," he replies.

Sarah and Grace both giggle this time, "By the way, why did you become a zoid warrior, and how did you end up working with the ZBC, if you don't mind me asking," Sarah asks.

At this, Colt gets a little silent as he stares at the campfire, "...When I was a little younger, I was just your average hometown boy, living a peaceful life with me family. It was peaceful back home... until we got attacked by bandits. They tore through the town, hurting anyone and everyone in sight, including my dad who tried to stand up to them. He moves around in a wheelchair now after that. When the ZBC finally showed up, the bandits were already long gone. The ZBC soon left, but I snuck aboard one of their ships because I was going to take one of their zoids, hunt down those bastards, and make them pay for what they did. Of course, I got caught shortly after I got on, heh-heh. However, the man in charge on that ship decided to hear me out, and brought me before the chief of the ZBC. They had me perform a bunch of tests, and realized that I had mad skills and natural instincts as a pilot, so they gave me a spot in the force. I had to do some major convincing to get my parents to agree with it, but t eventually workd out in the end. I worked my way up the ranks to where I am now, and soon enough got my own partner, the Bravejaguar. Since then, I've been rounding up and taking down bandit groups all over the continent, while at the same time, trying to gather intel on the NBG. I've been doing really well on the first objective; the second, not so much. And the rest is history. So, there's my mostly life story for ya," Colt explains his past.

"Damn, that's deep. No wonder you helped us take down that one bandit group from before so easily. You're a regular bandit hunter," Grace notes.

And Colt's signature smirk is back, "You know it. While we're on the subject: why are you two fighting in zoid battles?" he asks.

"Well, I'm in it to prove to everyone just how awesome the Spinosapper really is, and that it is just as capable in combat as it is in mining and construction," Grace replies.

Colt then turns to Sarah, "And you?" he urges her.

"Well... I'm fighting because I want to someday battle against Bit Cloud and his Liger Zero in a zoid battle. He's the main reason I got into the zoid battles," Sarah replies.

"Ah, the legendary Blitz Team, huh. Well, they're in class S, and it's gonna take you a while before you can get up there and face them on even ground. Those guys have their quirks, but no one can doubt their skill," Colt says, intrigued.

"Well, anyway it's getting late. We should probably turn in for the night. We got a long few days ahead of us. Goodnight, guys," Sarah says and stands up to walk over to Geno Ritter.

Colt watches her leave, "Where's she going?" he asks Grace.

"She likes to sleep inside the cockpit of her Geno Ritter. Don't ask me, that's just how it is. Anyway, goodnight, and don't even think about peeking in on us, pervert," Grace says before going into her tent next to their Gustav.

"Man, I just can't catch a break, can I?" Coot mutters before putting out the fire and heading into his own tent for some shut-eye.

…

The next day, the group rise early and pack up their stuff before getting back on the road. While making mild conversation to help pass the time, they eventually reach Romeo City by the afternoon. However, once they reach Romeo City, they find an unpleasant surprise waiting for them.

"Well, this just got a whole lot harder," Colt mutters.

"Um, Sarah, isn't that..." Grace trails off while they're still in their Gustav.

Ahead of them are two very familiar teams. One has three Lightning Saixes, while the other has a red Blade Liger, and a red Gun Sniper.

"Yeah... It's the Fluegel Team and the Lightning Team. Which means we're in deep trouble," Sarah mutters.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. The members of Team Lockhart get to know more about one another. But now, they may end up facing two of the best teams in the business on their quest to find the NBG. Will they survive the battle royal and make it to the finals? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	11. Chapter 11: Battle Royal Part 1

**Here we are at Chapter 11. Man, feels like forever since I've been back on this story, but then again, I've been really busy lately. Let's get the first part of the battle royal underway. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 11. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Battle Royal Part 1**

Team Lockhart get out of their Gustavs after pulling into the town, but as they get out, Grace and Colt notice that their team leader is looking a little nervous, if the slight shaking in her legs is any indication.

"Yo, Sarah, you okay?" Grace asks.

"Huh? Who, me? No I'm fine," Sarah replies nervously.

"You'd better be, because here comes trouble," Colt says, nodding ahead of them.

"Well, well, well, it's been a while, Sarah Lockhart," Leon Toros says as he and Naomi Fluegel walk up to them.

"Y-yeah, I guess it has," Sarah replies as she tries to maintain her composure.

"I see you guys got a new teammate. Spots sure are filling up fast. What's your name, kid?" Naomi asks Colt.

"The name's Colt Wilson, freelance zoid warrior turned Lockhart team member. Pleasure to meet ya," Colt replies coolly.

"So, you guys here to enter in the battle royal, too?" Grace asks.

"Yep, a good way to gain points, prize money, and to find some tough opponents. To be honest, Leon here has been bored ever since the Blitz Team moved up to class S," Naomi points a thumb to her partner.

"Well, don't worry about that. We'll make things interesting for ya," they hear a deeper voice from the side and look to see Jack Cisco and the twins walking up to them. "Don't forget about us now, or else we'll leave you way in the dust," Jack says, and then looks to Sarah. "So, you're the new rookie I've been hearing so much about. That's a pretty impressive zoid... you got... there..." Jack trails off as they all look up after hearing some growling and see the Geno Ritter glaring at the newcomers as they get closer to his partner.

That gets Sarah going, "Wait, Geno, you need to calm down. How many times do I have to tell you: no eating people!" Sarah says as she pets her partner to calm him down.

"What was that about?" Kelly Tasker asks, a little nervous about the Geno Ritter.

"Yeah, Sarah's partner isn't much of a people person. You get used to him. Just don't try anything funny, or he'll eat you," Grace notes.

"Well, looks like this zoid is getting more interesting by the moment. Anyway, the first part of the battle royal will be starting tomorrow, so we'll see you guys out there. Just don't bite the dust before we get a chance to battle. I want this to be a good battle," Jack says to Leon.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Leon replies, but then both veterans look at Sarah.

Everything goes silent as the two leaders stare at their junior before they leave.

"Well, looks like the top dogs are going to be gunning for us. Sounds like one Hell of a party," Colt notes.

"Sarah, you know what this means. They may very well acknowledge you, maybe even see you as a strong opponent. That's so cool!" Grace cheers.

Sarah actually smiles a little at that, "Yeah, I think you're right. It may be tough, but I'm sure we can take them," she says.

…

"We're totally gonna get our butts kicked!" Sarah cries, her head laying on a table as anime tears fall from her eyes.

The team are in one of the rooms at the local tavern, going over how they're gonna win, until Sarah gets a little overwhelmed and breaks down in tears.

"How's she the team leader again?" Colt half-asks, half-jokes.

Grace punches him in the arm, "Shut up, how would you feel if two of the toughest teams around were eyeing you like lunch?" she says.

Colt rubs his arm, "Ow, aside from the pain in my arm, I'd feel pretty flattered. If they're gunning for me, it means that they see potential in me, and maybe even a threat," he says.

Grace rubs Sarah's back, "Look Sarah, I know this challenge is a tough one, but you have to remember the goal here. We need to draw out the NBG and take them down. To do that, we need to make it big in this battle royal. If we could actually go toe-to-toe against the Lightning Team and the Fluegel Team, it could really get their attention," Grace explains.

"Yeah, until those guys are taken down, no one is safe," Colt adds.

Sarah stares at them for a moment and wipes the tears out of her eyes, "Sorry about that. I guess I'm just a little stressed out about facing two of the best teams around at once. I remember our mission, and that's why I'm worried. Because if we don't win, then the NBG may not come after us, as weird as that sounds since we want them to come after us," she says.

"Then we'd better make on Hell of a show," Grace says, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"You're right. Thanks, Grace," Sarah says.

"Ahem," Colt coughs.

"...Thanks Grace," Sarah says again, making Colt hunch over in defeat. "Okay, first step is figuring out a plan for taking down the Lightning Team and the Fluegel Team," she says.

"Sweet, and I actually have an idea that just might work," Colt says.

…

The next day, the battle royal is about to begin and all of the teams are all scattered around the outside of the battle arena for the event. All-in-all, thirty teams are participating, with the area being large enough, and having enough old urban buildings around, to host them all.

"Alright, people, the battle royal is about to begin. Remember, the last four teams still standing will face off in elimination matches, but until then, thirty teams will compete in this battle royal. We have cameras and drones all around to monitor the battles. Any form of foul play will result in immediate disqualification. The battle royal will play out until only four teams remain. Battlefield, set up. Ready...Fight!" the judge calls out as the bell tolls and the match is under way.

As soon as the bell went out, all teams race into the battle arena. All the buildings inside vary in size and shape, but all look abandoned and beat up. Inside, Team Lockhart stick together and move through the streets.

"Alright guys remember the plan and keep your eyes out for you-know-who. If it's anyone else, take them down, but try to conserve your ammo. This is going to be a long battle," Sarah calls out.

"Roger that," Grace and Colt reply over the comms.

It doesn't take long for the action to find them when they get a hit on their radar, coming in from their 10 o'clock. They see a pair of Black Rhinos coming in from around a corner. Sarah's Geno Ritter and Colt's Bravejaguar charge in first, with Grace's Spinosapper behind them. The Black Rhinos fire off their cannons, but the pilots evade them easily. The Bravejaguar jumps on top of the first Black Rhino, taking out its cannon before jumping off, while the Geno Ritter flies by the second, using its left blade to slice off the left legs of its opponent. The remaining Black Rhino tries to retreat, but forgets about its third opponent. The Spinosapper gets in front of it and, using its chainsaws, rips through the right side of the Black Rhino, causing it to fall to the ground in pieces.

"Well, that's one down. Twenty-eight more to go," Grace notes.

"Alright, let's keep going," Sarah says, while the Geno Ritter roars.

…

Meanwhile, in another part of the battle arena, a trio of Zaber Fangs slowly stalk their way through a destroyed building. As soon as they come out the opposite side, a shot rings out and takes down the leader with one shot.

"What the-where'd that come from?!" one member shouts as they look around.

A second shot rings out, taking out the second Zaber Fang, leaving only one left. The last Zaber Fang's pilot screams and tries to run away, only for the side of a building next to him to burst open, revealing a red Blade Liger on the other side, charging through with its blades out. The Blade Liger roars as it runs right by the Zaber Fang, slicing the zoid completely in half. The zoid turns around and checks out the damage.

"Too easy," Leon notes. "Let's move on to the next quadrant," he calls out.

"Roger that, Leon," Naomi says as she jumps down from a nearby building and moves next to him. "This kind of battle arena is perfect for someone with my skills," she says.

"Well, keep your eye out for the Lockhart Team or the Lightning Team whenever you're up there. I still want to fight them before the other teams get a chance to," Leon says.

…

Back with the Lockhart Team, the team takes some cover behind some buildings as a squad of Command Wolves fire off their laser guns from down the street.

"They seem to have us pinned down. What do we do?!" Grace calls out.

Sarah gets an idea, "I need you guys to keep them distracted. I have an idea. Let's go, Geno!" Sarah replies and looks up.

"Well, guess that's cue to show them my skills. Let's go, Bravejaguar," Colt says and races around the corner to stand against their opponents.

The Command Wolves focus their fire on the opponent out in the open. However, the Bravejaguar is too fast and too agile as it races and jumps off the side of the buildings to avoid their fire. From the rear, the Spinosapper fires off its guns to do a little damage, but only causes the Command Wolves to scatter.

"Come on, where's your leader. I want to fight the Geno Ritter," the leader of the opposing team calls out.

"Looking for me?" a female voice rings out.

The lead Command wolf looks up, just in time to see the Geno Ritter crash on top of it, stabbing its blades and claws into the zoid, taking it out. The other two get spooked, giving the Geno Ritter the chance to fire off its laser guns at one, leaving it in the dirt. The third Command wolf fires off its guns, only for the Geno Ritter to block them. It then charges at the Command Wolf, crashing into it and smashing it against a building. The Geno Ritter lets its opponent fall to the ground, and then stabs it through the torso to finish it off.

The Spinosapper walks up to the two, "Aw, I didn't get to take one out. That's not fair," she whines.

"Don't worry, you'll get the next one," Sarah replies.

…

In another part of the battle arena, the Lightning Team zooms through the abandoned streets, blowing by anything that gets too close.

"We've got bogeys up ahead," Kelly calls out.

"Time to have some fun," Jack mutters.

He engages his zoid's boosters and flies away from the twins. Up ahead, a few Gun Snipers slowly make their way to an intersection. However, just before they cross it, Jack flies right by them, using the rush of air from the run to blow the first Gun Sniper into a building.

"Fire!" one calls out and the other two fire off their machine guns.

However, the shots miss as Jack's Lightning Saix races on by before stopping and sliding across the ground as it turns around.

"Gotcha," Jack mutters.

From behind the opponents, the twins, who were hanging back, fire off their cannons, damaging their opponents, and then use their boosters to blow by them, using the rush of air from their speed to blow the other Gun Snipers out of the way, and out of the fight. The twins slow down to a stop as Jack rejoins them.

"That was way too easy. Where's the real competition?" Chris asks.

"Don't worry. If my hunch is right, they're still in this battle. If we don't find them here, we'll see them in the finals. Of course, there are times where I'm just not the patient type," Jack says.

…

Back with Team Lockhart, Colt's Bravejaguar runs down another street as an enemy Gator fires off its small gatling gun at him. The Bravejaguar weaves through the shots as it gets closer. Eventually, the Bravejaguar jumps along the side of one building and towards the Gator, its claws glowing with energy.

"Strike Laser Claw!" Colt yells as he attacks.

The attack shreds the side of the Gator, and it falls onto its side. Meanwhile, the Spinosapper fires off its gatling guns at a Sea Striker as it flies by, but narrowly misses its mark.

"It's too fast. I can't get it!" Grace yells in frustration.

"I'll help you out," Sarah calls out.

The Geno Ritter jumps from out of nowhere and lands in front of the Sea Striker, causing the pilot to hit the breaks and turn hard, only to end up crashing into the side of another building. This gives the Spinosapper the chance to fire off its guns, this time riddling it with holes.

"Finally, that little weasel was annoying. Thanks, Sarah, but what about your opponent?" Grace asks.

"Oh, him..." Sarah says and then glances behind her along with the Geno Ritter, showing another Sea Striker deep in the dirt, smoke trailing out the sides. "I wouldn't worry about him," she says.

"So, how many teams does that make now?" Colt asks as he joins them.

"I think that makes eight now. We've been lucky so far. Most of the teams we've fought were class C and a few were class B. Haven't seen the Fluegel or the Lightning Team yet," Grace says.

"Well, let's keep an eye out. This battle royal isn't over yet-AH!" Sarah yells out as a few blasts ring out and explode around them.

"Finally found ya, rookies," they here and look to see the Lightning Team down one street from them. "Time for some real fun. Just don't make this too easy for me," Jack says.

"Ah, crap! Figures our luck would run out sooner or later!" Grace says.

"We need to move, now!" Sarah says and retreats with her teammates in tow.

"Do you really think you can outrun our Lightning Saix?" Jack mutters before his team goes after them.

The chase is on, but thanks to the Lightning Saixs' superior speed, they catch up in a short amount of time.

"Sarah, we can't out run them. And I definitely can't out run them!" Grace yells as her Spinosapper falls behind.

"Alright, remember the plan. I'll give you two an opening, then scatter!" Sarah replies.

The Geno Ritter stops and turns around, firing off its laser guns while the Bravejaguar and then the Spinosapper run by it. The Lightning Saix race under the shots and make small movements to narrowly avoid them. They counterattack with their beam weapons, but the Geno Ritter uses its swords to block most of them, though it takes some damage from a few shots.

"You're done for, kid," Chris says as she and her sister race by Jack and fire their weapons again.

However, the Geno Ritter suddenly jumps up high, causing them to stop and look up. They see the Geno Ritter land on the side of one building, using its blades to stay on the side by stabbing into the building. It then pushes off and jumps higher, repeating the process until it makes it on top of one building and disappears.

"What the-how can a zoid that big move like that?!" Chris yells.

"The Geno Ritter is based off the Geno Saurer, a powerful zoid that had a high level of power and maneuverability despite its size. The Geno Ritter has even greater agility thanks to the extra thrusters on the back and wing binders on the legs. Come on, they've scattered, but no need to follow in their footsteps. Stay together and hunt them down one by one, starting with the Spinosapper," Jack explains.

The Lightning Saix go down one path, following the tracks left behind by the Spinosapper. They could run at full speed, but feeling like this may be a trap, they keep their speeds to a minimum for the time being.

"You picking anything up?" Kelly asks.

"Hold on..." Chris mutters, checking her scanners before she picks something up a moment later. "Wait, I've got something. One of them is in the building up ahead on our left," she replies.

The trio stop outside one building, seeing a hole in the side.

"Should we go in?" Chris asks.

"No, we go in, we can't utilize our Lightning Saixs' superior speed. These kids are smarter than they appear. However, an obvious trap like this won't work on us. Flush them out," Jack commands.

The three Lightning Saix fire off their weapons at the building itself, causing enough damage to make the whole thing come crashing down in a huge plume of smoke and debris.

"Ha, that should teach you rookies. We're not in class A for nothing," Chris notes.

"Wait, something's wrong. I'm still picking something up on my scanners," Kelly says, her scanners showing something still alive where the destroyed building is.

"But how, they couldn't have come out of that unscathed. That's impossible!" Kelly retorts.

"Wait...It's moving towards us. And now I've got two more signatures coming in from our flanks," Kell says.

"Get ready. Chris, focus on the one in front of us," Jack says.

The three dots on their scanners slowly get closer, causing them to fire off their beam weapons all around them. However, while second and third dots stop, the first keeps moving towards them, now right in front of them.

"I don't see anything! Where is it?!" Chris yells.

Jack remains calm and thinks about what's up as they get closer. Just as the first dot is on top of them, he figures it out.

"Wait, Chris, below you!" he yells.

Just then, the Spinosapper bursts forth from underground, right in front of Chris' zoid. Chris' Lightning Saix pulls back as the chainsaws come out, getting close enough just to slice off the beam weapon barrels before she manages to escape. To add fuel to the fire, a charge particle cannon shot bursts forth through another building, causing the Lightning Team to scatter to avoid it.

 _"They actually set an ambush for us. How'd they do that... Wait, that Spinosapper is mainly used for digging and mining, so it must've burrowed underground before we attacked the building, either that or it did before we showed up and we never went inside to check. Looks like I underestimated these guys,"_ Jack mentally notes.

They look through the hole to see the Geno Ritter a few buildings down. A second later, the Bravejaguar lands near them while the Spinosapper fully emerges from the ground, and the Lightning Team find themselves blocked on all sides.

"They actually got the jump on us. How'd the Hell did that happen?!" Kelly asks.

"Heh-heh-heh, don't underestimate us just because we're rookies. I knew we couldn't outrun your zoids, so we had to lure you into a trap, and we had a trap for a trap so you'd let your guard down. It wouldn't have worked if the Spinosapper wasn't designed for heavy digging. Now then, let's get the real party started," Colt chuckles.

Just then, the bell goes off, signaling the end of the battle.

"Battle is over. Battle is over. The final four teams are the Lightning Team, the Fluegel Team, the Lockhart Team, and the Grun Team. The elimination matches will take place tomorrow at noon. Finalists, prepare yourselves. Until tomorrow," the judge announces before his capsule closes.

"Aw, things were just getting good," Colt whines a bit.

However, Sarah and Grace breathe a sigh of relief, "I'm just glad this fiasco is over, at least for now anyway," Sarah notes.

"I second that," Grace adds.

"Don't ease up just yet. Tomorrow is the elimination matches. There's a chance that you'll be facing us again tomorrow, and if that happens, you won't get the drop on us a second time," Jack says.

The Geno Ritter roars in anticipation, and Sarah finds herself agreeing with her partner.

"Yeah, we won't go down that easily. We'll see you in the finals," Sarah says.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. The battle royal is over, but now the real battle begins as Sarah's team prepare to face their next opponent. Who will their opponent in the first match be: Lightning, Fluegel, or this mysterious new Grun Team? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	12. Chapter 12: Battle Royal Part 2

**Here we are at Chapter 12. Been a while since I've been back here, but this is one of my lesser stories compared to the others, however it was not forgotten. Time for the next part of the battle royal. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owner. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 12. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Battle Royal Part 2**

"So, any idea who we're facing first in the elimination matches?" Grace asks.

The Lockhart team are sitting in a local dinner with some drinks as they go over the plan for the next part of the battle royal.

"Well, it appears we won't find out until the day of the elimination matches, which is two days from now. This was made to give the surviving teams time to repair their zoids for the battle. We do know that the elimination matches won't be inside the old city. They'll be out in the open desert outside the city," Sarah explains as she goes over some things on her zoid gear.

"Which means that if we end up facing the Lightning Team again, we'll be in trouble. A large, wide-open space will allow them to use their Lightning Saix to the best of their abilities. However, we also have to be careful if we end up facing the Fluegel Team. Leon and Naomi may not have the speed of the Lightning Team, but they have the skills and experience to make up for it. Even if we have the numbers advantage, we lack that quality," Colt adds.

"What about that other team? The Grun Team," Grace asks.

Sarah pulls up their information, and then gasps, "It can't be," she mutters.

"What is it?" Colt asks.

Sarah pulls her zoid gear around to show the members of the Grun Team, including two familiar faces.

"The one with the white hair, I've met with him before. His name is Sky Faust, and the one with the spikey red hair is his younger brother, Rickie. I've met them before in the town near where I found Geno," Sarah says.

"So, you've met before, that's interesting. So, what kind of zoid does he use?" Grace asks.

"Well, Rickie said he's just an engineer, not a warrior. But, as for Sky, I actually don't know. I never asked. What I do know is that they said that their team recently got into class B, which means they should be pretty good, but not as good as the other teams here. I never met the rest of their team though," Sarah says.

"Okay, so it looks like the other two are their other fighters. The information here says that they have a pair of modified Zaber Fangs... and then a Pteramander," Colt notes.

"A Pteramander?" Grace asks, sipping her drink.

"Pteramanders are aerial zoids designed for long-ranged bombardment. They don't have the speed or agility of zoids like the Raynos or the Pteras, but they have greater armor and far greater fire power. They have missile launchers, long-range beam cannons on the wings, and they even have a flamethrower attack in the head. The Zaber Fangs we shouldn't have too much trouble on, but that flying zoid will be a problem," Colt explains.

"Interesting. I remember Rickie saying that they call his older brother 'Sky Fire'. Guess now I know why," Sarah mutters.

"Okay, well in case we end up facing them in the next round, let's come up with a strategy to beat them," Grace says, and the others nod with her.

…

Meanwhile, in another area, Sky Faust and Rickie meet with their teammates. One of them has short bluish, blackish hair, wearing a black vest over a long-sleeved gray shirt, light gray pants, and black boots. The second member of the team shoulder length brown hair, wearing a dark orange jacket with shoulder pads over a black shirt, brown pants, and boots.

"So, what have you guys gone over so far, Johnny?" Rick asks, hands behind his head.

"So far, we're in a tough spot. The Lightning and the Fluegel teams will be our biggest obstacles. Kind of hoping we weren't gonna face any top players, but no use crying about it now. The third team, the Lockhart Team, will probably be our best bet to at least move onto the finals," the one with the blackish hair, Johnny, notes.

"I have a feeling they'll be our opponents for tomorrow's first match. So, if we face them, we'll need to take out the Spinosapper and the Bravejaguar first before going onto the Geno Ritter. If that's the case, we'll need you to hold it off while we deal with the other two. Then we'll come and help you out. Sound like a plan?" the one with the brown hair asks.

"No difference to me," Sky says before he walks away along with Rick.

As they leave, the other two lean towards one another, "So how do we take care of the other two exactly?" the brown-haired one asks.

"We take care of them BEFORE the battle begins. That's how," Johnny whispers.

All the while, Sky glances back at them as he goes.

…

Later one night before the matches, as the members of Team Lockhart are sound asleep in their Gustavs. As they sleep, figures clouded in the shadows sneak over to their zoids. They each get under the Spinosapper and the Bravejaguar and place something in the joints of the front legs before dropping back down. They then move onto the Geno Ritter. However, just as they get close, the Geno Ritter's eyes light up and it suddenly roars at them. The two intruders scream and make a break for it, while the noise wakes up Sarah and the others as they leave the Gustavs.

"What's going on?! Geno?!" Sarah yells as she looks around.

The Geno Ritter comes at the two intruders, but they throw a flashbang and blind everyone with light, one on the ground and one at the Geno Ritter's face. Once the dust settles, the two intruders are gone.

"What the Hell is going on out here?!" Colt yells as he joins them.

Sarah goes to her partner to calm him down, "Something must've spooked Geno while we were asleep," she says.

"Looks to me like we had a couple of intruders try to sneak a peek at our zoids. Luckily, Geno Ritter here is a light sleeper," Colt notes.

"Should we inform the commission about this?" Grace asks.

"No time, the battle is tomorrow. However..." Colt trails off as the other two stare at him.

…

The next day in the early afternoon, the battle commission announce the matchups for the battle royal finals. The first match will be Team Lockhart vs the Grun Team, while the second match will be the Fluegel Team vs the Lightning Team. Out in the open desert not too far from the battle arena, Team Lockhart face off against their opponents, the Grun Team. Getting a better look at their opponents' zoids, they can see that the two Zaber Fangs have been modified with special weapons. One of them has on a large missile launcher on the back along with a pair of laser guns. The other Zaber Fang has been equipped with a pair of lance weapons on the sides for close combat, and a pair of the same laser guns on the back. The Pteramander is painted white with a little bit of red, and seems to have some modified boosters on the back along with a pair of missile launchers to go with its normal weaponry. As the two teams face off, Sarah gets a call on the comm channel from the opposing team.

"Been a while," Sky says as he appears on the screen.

"Yeah, I guess it has. So that's your zoid huh. I've never seen a Pteramander before, especially one like yours up close. Hope you can give my partner her a good fight. He's been itching for a good brawl since our run-in with the Lightning Team the other day," Sarah says.

The Geno Ritter roars at the Pteramander, which in turn shouts its own roar in reply to the challenge.

"We'll see," Sky replies.

"Alright big bro, let's get this show on the road," Rick says over the comm-link.

Just then, the judge capsule crashes into the ground and prepares to start the match.

"Scanning... Scanning... This area is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personal must vacate the area immediately. The Lockhart Team vs the Grun Team. Battle mode 0-9-9-2. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready... Fight!" the judge sounds off and the gong is rung.

Immediately, the two Zaber Fangs start firing off their laser guns at the Lockhart Team, causing them to scatter while giving the Pteramander the chance to get into the skies.

"Whoa, that thing is fast," Grace notes as she runs through the battlefield.

"Remember the plan; Grace, with me!" Colt yells.

The Bravejaguar runs towards the Zaber Fangs with the Spinosapper in tow. One Zaber Fangs fires off its missile launcher at him. Colt moves his zoid around the missiles as they get close while shooting down the others with its twin-beam guns. Once it gets through the onslaught, the Bravejaguar fires off at the Zaber Fang. One shot hits, but the Zaber Fang shrugs it off before jumping out of the way to avoid the others and counterattack.

"That thing's more durable than it looks," Colt mutters as he evades at the attack.

Meanwhile, the other Zaber Fang fires off its laser guns at the Spinosapper while charging it it. The Spinosapper uses its chainsaws to block the shots, and when the Zaber Fang gets close, it tries to swing its right chainsaw at it. However, the Zaber Fang races by with its lances out, the two weapons sliding across each other, with the Spinosapper almost knocked off its feet as it passes by.

"Arrgh! This is ridiculous," Grace grits her teeth.

"These guys are tougher than we thought. No wonder they made it to the elimination matches," Sarah mutters as she eyes her opponent.

The Pteramander fires off its long-range beam cannons from the sky, but the Geno Ritter uses its thrusters to dodge them as it glides across the ground. The Geno Ritter attacks with its laser guns, but the Pteramander remains too high in the sky, outside their range, and they miss. The Pteramander then flies down to the ground, coming to fly just above the ground. The Geno Ritter charges at it, blades out. However, the Pteramander starts to go up as it speed increases and it blows by the Geno Ritter, causing it to get knocked off its feet from the backdraft. The Geno Ritter shakes its head as it gets back up and sees the Pteramander flying in the sky again.

"He's fast. A Pteramander normally isn't that fast, but it's obvious that he's upgraded it to have an increase in speed," Sarah mutters.

The Pteramander comes back around and this time fires off its missile launchers. The Geno Ritter glides across the ground as the missiles give chase. As they get close, the Geno Ritter fires off its laser guns to shoot down the missiles, with just two left coming in close. The Geno Ritter then spins around, swinging its blades to slice through the remaining two missiles before getting back on track, leaving smoke in its wake.

"How you guys holding up right now?!" Sarah calls out.

"I'm just peachy!" Grace yells in frustration.

The Spinosapper has to keep avoiding charges from the Zaber Fang with the lances, but is having a hard time matching each charge from its opponent. The Zaber Fang comes back around for another charge while firing off its laser guns. The Spinosapper blocks them with its chainsaws, but once again has barely enough time to avoid getting impaled by the lance weapons. The Zaber Fang comes back around for another strike, however...

"Arrgh, I've had it!" Grace yells.

The Spinosapper fires off its missile launchers at the ground, blowing up smoke, sand, and debris to cover it from the naked eye.

"What the-that won't work!" the pilot with the Zaber Fang retorts as he charges in again. The Zaber Fang charges through the smoke, only to come out without hitting anything. "Where'd it go?" he mutters.

Just then, the Spinosapper comes out of nowhere and clamps its jaws down on the right lance. The Zaber Fang tes to get it off, but the Spinosapper slices off the lance with its chainsaw. The Zaber Fang pulls away and runs off to get another charge in. However, this time, Grace is ready.

"I've gotten used to your charges by now," Grace smirks. When the Zaber Fang gets close, the Spinosapper swings around and slams its tail into the Zaber Fang's face, knocking it to the ground on its side. "Told ya," she mutters.

Back with Colt, his Bravejaguar races across the desert floor as it runs parrallel with the other Zaber Fang. The Zaber Fang aims its missile launcher at him and fires. However, the Bravejaguar is too fast and runs past them. The missiles fly around and head back towards Colt's zoid. He and the Zaber Fang separate from one another as the missiles close in.

"This is gonna suck, but I guess I have no choice. Sorry, partner," Colt mutters and turns his zoid right back at the Zaber Fang. The Zaber Fang fires its laser guns as they close in on each other. The Bravejaguar dodges the shots as it gets closer and then it starts glowing on its legs. "Strike Laser Claw!" Colt yells as his zoid jumps into the air.

"You'll have to do better than that," Johnny mutters.

The Zaber Fang dodges to the left to just barely avoid the attack while taking a little damage and then grabs the Bravejaguar by its tail and flings it off to the side. However, the second he does is the second that the missiles he fired earlier hit him instead of his target, doing major damage to his zoid while the Bravejaguar falls off to the side.

"What?! No!" Johnny yells.

"Heh-heh, guess my little gamble paid off. A life without risk is a life unlived, as they say," Colt says.

"Arrgh, that's it. You're gonna pay for this!" Johnny yells before he hits a switch in his cockpit. However, when nothing happens, he freaks out. "What? Why didn't anything happen?!" he yells.

"Why didn't 'what' happen? Are you talking about those charges you tried to sneak onto our zoids the other night? Well, here's the thing: no one messes with my zoid. After the Geno Ritter woke up and scared you boys off, I thought it would be a good idea to check things out, and low-and-behold, we found your charges and disconnected them. You see, I've been around a while and have seen quite a few things. You can't get the jump on me that easily," Colt explains.

"We don't appreciate dirty fighters like you guys. It makes the rest of us zoid warriors look bad," Grace notes as her Spinosapper stands over her opponent.

"But, you don't have any proof it was us. It could have been anyone that rigged those charges. It wasn't us," the third member retorts.

"We do," Sky suddenly says from the skies above.

"What?" Johnny questions him.

"Big bro thought you guys were up to something, so we have video recordings of you guys making the bombs and then heading over to the Lockhart Team's place to set them up. We kept our distance so as not to get spotted, but we were able to get enough, including the dumb looks on your faces. You're toast after this battle," Rick says over the comms.

"Wait, they what?" Sarah asks.

"You, you would betray your own teammates?!" Johnny yells.

"I don't fight dirty," Sky says.

"So, you weren't in on it?" Sarah asks.

"Like bro said, we don't fight dirty. That's not our style. We had our suspicions about our teammates for a while, but no evidence to prove them. Until now that is," Rick notes.

"Well then, let's take out the trash," Grace notes. The Spinosapper slams its left foot on the Zaber Fang's head to keep it down, and then rips it to shreds with its chainsaws.

"No, we can't lose like this. Sky, take them out now. That's an order from your team leader," Johnny demands.

Sky narrows his eyes and flies towards the ground. Sarah gets ready, only to notice the Pteramander change direction and head towards the remaining Zaber Fang.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Johnny asks as his damaged zoid tries to get up.

"Here he comes. The one and only 'Sky Fire'!" Rick cheers.

The Pteramander flies low and opens its mouth, releasing a flamethrower breath attack across the ground and then over the Zaber Fang's body as it flies by. The flames damage the zoid's body further, making it incapable of continuing to fight before they die down.

"You gotta be kidding me! How could this have happened?!" Johnny says as his systems freeze up.

"And now that that's taken care of, let's finish this fight, big bro," Rick says.

"What?" Sarah asks.

"You and me... Finish our fight," Sky replies as he circles around again.

The Geno Ritter roars at the Pteramander, which responds in kind, and Sarah understands then.

"Alright, let's do this, Geno," Sarah mutters.

The Pteramander comes back down, firing off its beam cannons as it does. The Geno Ritter glides across the desert floor, evading the shots as it meets its opponent's charge. The Pteramander fires off its flamethrower attack as they pass each other, the flames surrounding the Geno Ritter.

"Come on, Geno. I believe in you. We can do this, together," Sarah says.

The Geno Ritter roars and then uses some of its thrusters to start spinning around with its blades out wide. The move causes a whirlwind that blows away the flames before it stops and turns again to face its foe. The Pteramander firs off its missile launchers again, but the Geno Ritter fires off its laser guns when they get close. The Pteramander breaks flies in through the smoke, charging its quarry. The Geno Ritter readies for its next attack.

"Yeah, I hear you, partner. I'm getting tired of this guy flying all around us too. I believe in you, partner," Sarah mutters. Just then, something changes inside the cockpit of the Geno Ritter. Two mechanism pop out the sides of the seat and connect to Sarah's head spooking her. The main screen then shows the words 'Z-Link system engaged' on it. Sarah's eyes widen as her pupils shrink and suddenly her visions changes from looking inside the cockpit to staring outside at the incoming Pteramander. "What is this? It feels like I'm seeing through Geno's eyes," Sarah mutters.

The Geno Ritter's eyes glow and it roars louder than before. When the Pteramander gets close, the Geno Ritter uses its thruster to jump into the air and spin around over the Pteramander, using its blades to slice off the right wing of its opponent. The Pteramander cries out before it falls onto the ground. The Geno Ritter then lands on top of it and impales it back with its blades, causing its systems to freeze up. Just then, the bell rings out.

"Battle is over. Battle is over. The winner is... the Lockhart Team," the judge announces.

"Woohoo, yeah, we did it!" Grace cheers.

"Another job well done," Colt says.

The cockpit returns to normal and Sarah's eyes return to normal, "What...was that? Geno?" Sarah mutters as she stares at her zoid's screen.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah's team wins the first of the elimination matches. However, now Sarah has questions regarding what happened with her zoid. Now though, their next opponent will be either the Fluegel Team or the Lightning Team. Will they win it all? What happened with Sarah and her Geno Ritter? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	13. Chapter 13: Strength vs Speed

**Here we are at Chapter 13. Sorry I haven't updated this or any of my others stories in a while. I'm back in school now, so my updates may not be as frequent, but I'll keep at them as best as I can. Anyway, let's move on to the next match of the battle royal finals. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 13. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Strength vs Speed**

After Team Lockhart's victory over the Grun Team, ZBC security came in to arrest the Grun Team for trying to illegally tamper with the Lockhart team's zoids. They intended to take all of the members into custody, but because Sarah and her friends (and Colt subtly flashing his ZBC badge) spoke up for Sky and his brother Rickie, only the other two members of the now former Grun Team were taken into custody. Because of their victory in such a high stakes match against a class B team, Sarah and her friends were notified that they were bumped up into class B now, something they were quite glad to hear. Now, Sarah and her friends are outside the Zoids institute, seeing Sky and Rickie off.

"Are you sure you won't stay to watch the rest of the tournament? Sarah asks.

"Have to go," Sky replies.

"Yeah, we need to start looking for some new members for our team. And we need to figure some other things out as well," Rickie says.

"Well, what about us? You could always join our team. I mean, after our victory, we made it into the class B rankings, which means we're the same rank now, right?" Sarah suggests.

Rickie hums, "Hmm, it's very tempting, but right now we just need some time to figure things out. But, who knows what'll happen in the future," Rickie notes.

"I see. That's too bad," Sarah notes, but then sees Sky staring at her. "Is something wrong?" she asks.

Sky remains silent for a moment, before shaking his head, "No. Nothing," he says and then turns to make his leave.

"Well, see you guys around," Rickie waves to them before going to join his brother as they walk away.

"Well, they certainly seem like a weird bunch," Colt notes.

"Like you're one to talk," Grace notes, hands on her hips.

"Come on guys, we have to go check on our zoids, and then we need to go see the next match. Whoever wins will be our next opponent," Sarah says.

"Yeah, either the Lightning Team or the Fluegel Team. Either way, we're in trouble in the final round," Grace deadpans.

Meanwhile, Sky glances back at the group as they walk away, something his younger brother notices.

"What is it, big bro?" Rickie asks.

Sky remains silent, thinking back to the last battle when the Geno Ritter jumped over his Pteramander, performing an attack manuever that most zoid warriors would be able to pull off.

"Her zoid. It's different," Sky replies.

"Well, yeah, it's a rare Geno Ritter. Most people thought they were gone for good, but here one lives and breathes," Rickie notes.

"Not what I meant," Sky replies as they walk away.

…

Back with the Lockhart Team, the members are checking over their zoids. They were told that they would be given a few days for repairs and tests before the final battle, but decided to get a little head start before the next semi-final match begins. Grace is checking over the systems for her Spinosapper's chainsaws, Colt is going over the Bravejaguar's leg motors, and Sarah is in the Geno Ritter's cockpit, looking over the computer screen.

 _"What was that system from before. I think it said 'Z-Link system' over something,"_ Sarah wonders as she looks over her partner's systems. Typing away at the computer screen, Sarah tries to bring up the system again, but ends up with nothing but a groaning Geno Ritter. "Come on Geno, work with me here. What was that system you did before? I know it wasn't me that started it," Sarah mutters, but the Geno Ritter only gives off a low growl a but as an answer. After a few more minutes of trying to bring up the system, Sarah sighs and leans back in her seat, resigned to defeat for now. "Just what are you, Geno?" she mutters. She hops out of the cockpit and turns around as her partner leans down for her to pet him. "I guess I'll leave it alone, for now," she says.

"Everything good, Sarah?" Grace calls out.

"Yeah, I'm good here," Sarah replies.

"Alright, then let's go. The next match will be starting shortly," Colt adds.

…

The group make it a local hangout for zoid warriors, with all the screens in the place set to the battle between the class A teams. Team Lockhart sit at the bar in front, soft drinks in hand and waiting for the match to begin. Out in the desert, the Lightning Team and the Fluegel Team are all set and ready to go in their zoids.

"Alright, let's get ready, Liger," Leon says, his partner roaring in response.

"You seem pretty pumped up, Leon. Did that last battle get you all wiled up?" Naomi asks.

"Yeah, aside from the attempted sabotage, that was a good fight. Seeing Sarah Lockhart and her Geno Ritter perform that killer move get my blood pumping. I want to win this match and have the chance to take her on in the next round," Leon replies.

"Alright, then let's make this quick," Naomi says.

Just then, Jack appears on the screen, "Oh, this battle will be quick alright, when our Lightning Saixes leave your zoids in the dust and we beat you. That grand prize is mine," Jack says.

"We'll see about that," Leon says.

The judge then appears and gets ready to start the match.

"Scanning... Scanning... This area is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personal must vacate the area immediately. The Fluegel Team vs the Lightning Team. Battle mode 0-9-9-2. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready... Fight!" the judge sounds off and the gong is rung.

The Lightning Saixes immediately rush at their opponents, while the red Blade Liger meets their charge, and the Gun Sniper takes off in another direction. The Lightning Saixes fire off their laser guns, but the Blade Liger activates its shield to block their attack as it runs at them.

"Split off! You two, take care of the Gun Sniper. I'll handle the Blade Liger!" Jack calls out.

"Roger that!" the twins reply before separating from him.

Jack's Lightning Saix races towards the Blade Liger, using its boosters to zip right by it, causing the rush of air to force the Blade Liger to stop and hold its ground or risk being blown off its feet. Meanwhile, Naomi sees the twins right on her tail and gaining fast. She looks ahead to see a few rock formations ahead of her and engages the thrusters on her zoid to give her a little extra push towards the rocks.

 _"I can't beat those things straight up, nor can I beat them in speed and agility. I need to limit their movements if I'm going to have a shot at this,"_ Naomi thinks.

The two Lightning Saixes fire off their laser guns at her, shaking her zoid a bit from the explosions as they catch up and blow right by her. The burst of air knocks her zoid off its feet, but Naomi reacts fast enough to get it back up and continues running towards the rocks.

"Come on, let's get her!" Kelly yells.

"Right behind ya," Chris adds as they turn their zoids around.

Back with the leaders, Jack fires off his laser guns again, but Leon uses his zoid's shield to block the shots once more. They charge at each other, and Leon engages his zoid's blades, opening them up at the sides. Jack's eyes widen a bit, but he manages to just barely avoid them by having his partner jump over the left blade at the last second.

"Hah, don't think this will be like your battles against Bit and his Liger Zero. The Liger doesn't have blades like these," Leon says.

"Alright, then I'd better not hold back," Jack replies and hits the boosters on his Lightning Saix.

The Lightning Saix races towards the Blade Liger, firing off its laser guns, only this time the shots hit the ground around the Liger, blowing up smoke to blind it. Leon looks around, only for a shot to ring out and hit his zoid's left side. Another shot comes out, this time from the left that lands its mark.

"Arrgh, damn! He's fast," Leon mutters.

Using its boosters, the red Blade Liger escapes from the smoke and spots the Lightning Saix retreating from the battle, using its boosters to increase the distance between the two.

"Think you can catch me, Toros," Jack taunts him.

"I can't match him speed for speed, so there's no point in going after him. I need to catch him off guard, but how?" Leon wonders.

Back with Naomi, she's getting closer to the rocks, but so are the twins. They fire off their laser guns again, but this time, Naomi engages the thrusters on her Gun Sniper again to leap into the air to evade them, with the Lightning Saixes running past her as she lands behind them. With that, she makes a break for it and makes it to the rock formations, using them for cover.

"She made it to the rocks," Kelly notes.

"We can't use our zoids' speed that well there, but if we don't do something, it'll give her plenty of time to find a good sniping position. We have no choice but to go after her. Let's go, Kelly," Chris says.

"Roger that," Kelly replies.

The two head into the rocks, finding the terrain making it hard for them to run at full speed. They keep their eyes up high, to see if the enemy Following the tracks left by the Gun Sniper, the two keep moving through the terrain, until the tracks stop at the bottom of a cliff.

"Where'd she go?" Chris asks.

"This isn't good. We need to get out of here. At least in the open, we'll be too fast for her to hit," Kelly says.

"Good idea," Chris agrees.

The pair move to make their way out of the cliffs. However, out of one corner in the rocks, a short gun barrel sticks out.

"A Lightning Saix can only use its speed in wide open areas. But, take away that speed, and it's just a lightly armored target," Naomi mutters as she takes aim.

Soon enough, a shot rings out and nails one of the Lightning Saix in the side. A second shot rings out, hitting it again in the right shoulder. The two shots cause the zoid to fall onto its side in a roar of pain.

"Ahh! No!" Kelly yells.

"Kelly, are you okay?!" Chris calls out.

"Arrgh, no I'm not alright. My system froze up. Chris, you have to get out of here, now. Go!" Kelly yells.

"Got it. I'll get her back for this!" Chris replies before making a break for it.

Naomi chuckles, "Heh-heh, that's one down. Now then, I wonder how Leon's doing," she mutters.

Meanwhile, Leon is racing across the sand, searching for his opponent. It doesn't take long before he sees Jack's Lightning Saix racing towards him. The two charge at each other, with the Lightning Saix firing off its laser guns while the red Blade Liger shoots off its shock cannons. The shots mainly miss the two fighters, each shot exploding off the sides of them as they avoid the incoming fire. When the pair get close, Jack hits his boosters again, causing the Lightning Saix to shoot past the Blade Liger at high-speed, once again hitting it with a burst of air that nearly knocks it off its feet.

"Ugh, can't get a good shot at it... But maybe, what I need to do is the opposite," Leon mutters as a thought occurs to him.

Jack turns his zoid around again, only to see the Blade Liger just waiting for him, hunched in a stalking position.

"What's he planning?" Jack wonders. He fires off a few shots, only for the Blade Liger to block them with its shield. "Attacking like this won't help. I get to get it off its feet if I'm going to have a chance. Let's go, Lightning Saix," Jack mutters.

The Lightning Saix charges at its foe at full speed, while the Blade Liger makes no motion to attack or defend. What's even more strange is that it deactivates its shield as the Lightning Saix gets closer. Jack hits the boosters again, however, just as the Lightning Saix moves by the Blade Liger, the Blade Liger leans to the right, its jaws opened wide as it sinks its teeth into the left hind leg of the Lightning Saix, forcing it to a complete stop.

"What?!" Jack yells.

"Let's go, Blade Liger!" Leon yells.

The Blade Liger turns hard and pulls the Lightning Saix with it, swinging it around with enough force that it causes the captured leg to tear off of the main body, sending it flying. The Lightning Saix falls onto the ground while the Blade Liger spits the discarded limb to the side. The Lightning Saix tries to get up, but with only three legs, that's not really going to happen. The Blade Liger walks up and smashes its claw down on the head of the downed zoid.

"So, want to keep going Jack?" Leon asks.

"Why you," Jack curses under his breath.

"Jack!" Chris suddenly yells out as she races towards them.

The Lightning Saix fires off its laser guns, getting a few hits on the Blade Liger and forcing it off Jack's zoid. However, Chris doesn't realize that she's in another's crosshairs. A shot rings out and nails her zoid in the left hind leg, blowing it off at the knee joint. Chris' zoid falls onto the ground, and then a second shot hits it again, freezing her system. Leon looks up to see Naomi's Gun Sniper a distance away, turning around after firing from its tail cannon.

"Told ya I would get another shot in," Naomi says.

"Nice one, Naomi. Now then," Leon begins as he turns back to Jack's zoid. "Still want to keep going, Jack?" he asks.

Jack grits his teeth a bit, but then sighs, "No, I'm willing to admit when I've lost. This battle is yours. I surrender," Jack concedes the match and the bell goes off.

"Battle over... Battle over... The winner is... the Fluegel Team," the judge announces.

"Hey Jack, that was a good fight," Leon says.

Jack smiles a bit, "Heh, just wait until next time. I'll get you back," he replies.

…

Back in town, Team Lockhart watch the end of the match.

"Wow, that was intense," Grace notes.

"Yep. Well, they're two of the best teams in class A. Of course, it's going to be interesting. However, now we know who we're going to be facing off against in the finals. The rules say that we get a couple of days to fix up our zoids and go over our strategies, and then the match begins. Either way, this won't be easy. However, we can't forget our real objective here," Colt says.

"Yeah, to lure out the NBG through our performance here. However, that doesn't mean we can't try to win the final match of the battle royal," Sarah says.

"Now, you're talking like a leader," Colt notes.

…

Meanwhile, back at ZBC HQ, Chief Eisenhower is going over some documents in his office. A moment later, Roderick enters the room.

"Roderick, any news from Team Lockhart?" the Chief asks.

"Yes sir. They've made it to the final round of the battle royal event in Romeo City. They'll be facing the Fluegel Team in the final match. Even if they lose, the publicity from that match should entice our target to come out into the open and to come after them," Roderick explains.

"Good. And when they do, we'll have a force ready to come in and apprehend them. The sooner we can clean up this mess, the better. Now then, what about our other matter?" Eisenhower asks, hands clasped in front of his chin.

"Right. We sent a team to Zi Mountain to investigate. Sarah Lockhart said that that is where she encountered the Geno Ritter. They came back and haven't found anything to indicate where the Geno Ritter came from. There isn't any indication to show if the Geno Ritter came from somewhere else. It that's the case, it means that it showed up there quite a long time ago," Roderick gives his report.

"I see. The Geno Ritter was thought to have been lost to time so long ago, only for one to show up now. What's more, aside from its pilot, Sarah Lockhart, it has a great distaste for humans, which can only mean that previous encounters with humans did not end well for it. It displays a great level of intelligence, even for a zoid. The only other zoids that showed such an intelligence were the Liger Zero of the Blitz Team, Leon Toros' red Blade Liger, and the Berserk Fury piloted by Vega of the former Backdraft Group. Whatever happened to the Geno Ritter in the past, we need to uncover it and find out what this could mean for the future of the zoid battles. I'm counting on you to handle this, Roderick," Eisenhower says.

"Yes, sir. It will be done," Roderick replies with a salute before leaving.

Eisenhower hums to himself, _"I hope I'm wrong, but God help us if I'm right,"_ he thinks.

…

In Romeo City, Sarah and her teammates are working on their zoids near the institute, preparing for their next match against the Fluegel Team. However, that plan changes soon enough when Leon Toros and Naomi Fluegel approach the young team.

"Looks like things are coming along smoothly for your zoids," Naomi says as they get closer.

Sarah is the first to notice them, "Hey guys, congratulations on winning your match against Jack's team," she says.

"Thanks," Leon begins, but then notices the Geno Ritter growling at them a bit. "He really doesn't like people, huh?" he notes.

"Yeah, he really doesn't. It took a little convincing from me to get him to accept me as his partner," Sarah notes as she begins to calm her partner down.

Leon gets a little more serious now, "Have you ever tried to figure out why he hates people so much? Or where he came from exactly?" Leon asks.

"Huh? Not really, been kind of busy trying to get a team together and rise through the rankings of the zoid battles," Sarah replies while petting her zoid.

Leon stares at her for a moment, "Well, no matter. I guess you would be more focused on tomorrow's match," he notes.

"Put all the focus in that you want. We're still gonna win," Naomi adds.

"Oh, we'll see about that," Grace replies, before leaning close to Colt. "We DO have a chance to beat them, right?" she whispers, making him chuckle a bit.

"Well, good luck in the final battle," Leon says, offering a hand.

"Thanks, you two," Sarah replies, shaking his offered hand. Leon and Naomi then take their leave, while Sarah turns back to her zoid, a question forming in her head. _"Where DID you come, Geno?"_ Sarah wonders.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Again, sorry for the late update, but I've been really busy now that school is back in session. Anyway, the teams for the final match have been decided, and Team Lockhart face their greatest challenge yet. Meanwhile, the ZBC begin to investigate the origins of the Geno Ritter. Will Sarah's team prevail? What happened to the Geno Ritter in the past? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	14. Chapter 14: Danger from Within

**Here we are at Chapter 14. It's time for the final round of the battle royal between the Fluegel Team and the Lockhart Team. Let's see if Sarah and her friends can overcome this fierce opponent. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 14. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Danger from Within**

It is the day before the final battle of the Romeo City battle royal, and the members of Team Lockhart are making final preparations with their zoids for the upcoming battle and thinking up a good strategy for facing their opponents.

"So, what are we dealing with here, exactly?" Grace asks, taking a swig of her water.

"Well, the main threat here will be the Blade Liger that Leon Toros has. It has incredible speed and mobility, capable of matching my Bravejaguar in both fields. It has weapons for both long-range and close-range battles, but it's the most dangerous close up. Those blades will cut through almost anything. However, we can't forget Naomi Fluegel's custom Gun Sniper. It's got superb long-range fire power with that sniper cannon. You're Spinosapper won't be fast enough to dodge that thing. Its armor can protect you from a few shots, but all it takes is one good shot from her to take you down. I could probably evade her shots, but my zoid has light armor, so I can't afford to take a single hit," Colt explains.

"What do you think I should do?" Sarah asks.

"Well, you're the team leader, you tell me," Colt replies.

Just then, the Geno Ritter roars a bit, getting their attention. It takes a moment for them to figure out what it's saying.

"It seems to me like Geno wants to face off against that red Blade Liger," Sarah says.

"Then I guess we'd better go with that as part of the plan. Your Geno Ritter can duel with its blades against the Blade Liger's. It also has the advantage of a greater range of motion with its blades, unlike the Blade Liger's. Grace and I will handle the Gun Sniper. If I can keep Naomi's attention on me, that may give Grace's Spinosapper time to try and ambush it. If we manage to survive, we can then help you out against Leon. Your job will be to keep him busy until then," Colt explains. The Geno Ritter then roars again. "That reminds me, if you can pull off that one move you did from before, you might be able to get a clean shot on Leon's zoid," he notes.

Sarah looks down in thought, "Yeah, about that. Something strange happened back in the last battle when I went up against Sky. When his Pteramander was coming in at us, something happened inside the Geno's cockpit," Sarah says.

"What do you mean?" Grace asks.

"Well, some metal tubes connected to my head, and all of a sudden, my vision changed it it was like I was looking directly through Geno's eyes. The screen said something called 'Z-Link' system or something, and I could feel some kind of rush of energy flowing through me. Then we did that one move and defeated Sky and won the battle. After that, everything went back to normal, and I haven't been able to bring that system back up ever since," Sarah explains.

Colt raises a hand to his chin and hums, "Hmm, sounds like you activated some kind of hidden system within the Geno Ritter. Do you remember how you did it?" he asks.

"No, I have no idea how it happened, and Geno hasn't exactly been helpful in telling me how it happened," Sarah replies.

The three look back to the Geno Ritter, "When the Geno Ritters were lost to time, data and information related to them vanished as well. That's why there's not much known about them, other than a few back things. Something about that battle must've caused that system to activate on its own. Either that, or the Geno Ritter made it happen. It may also have something to do with your partner's distaste with humans. You said you found it at Zi Mountain, near your old home, right?" Colt asks.

"Yeah, but I didn't find much else in the area. There were legends about a phantom zoid there for some time, since I was much younger, but I can't really tell you anything else beyond that," Sarah says.

"What are you thinking, Colt?" Grace asks.

"Hm, well, no use in going crazy about it right now. We have a big battle ahead of us tomorrow. After that, we can think more about the subject at a later date. For now, let's just finish up here and get some rest," Colt suggest.

"Fine by me," Grace agrees, sipping her water again.

Sarah looks back to her partner, wondering what kind of secrets are hidden within it.

…

Meanwhile, with the Fluegel Team, Leon Toros is looking over his own partner as night time sets in.

"Thinking about tomorrow's battle?" he hears and looks back as Naomi joins him.

"Yeah, I haven't really been this pumped up since back when I fought against Bit Cloud and the Liger Zero. I'm excited. Though she's still an amateur, I can see that Sarah Lockhart has a lot of hidden potential with her. And not just her, but I'll bet her zoid is full of hidden secrets as well," Leon says, full of anticipation.

"I know that look in your eye. Alright then, I'll deal with the other two while you have your fun with the Geno Ritter," Naomi says.

"You sure you can handle it? They may not be like the members of the Lightning Team, but they're clearly no pushovers," Leon asks.

"Don't worry. I've got an idea for them, if you're interested," Naomi says.

"Alright then, but just remember, Sarah Lockhart and the Geno Ritter are mine," Leon says, while his Blade Liger roars in agreement.

…

The next day has come, and the final battle is about to begin. For the final battle, the two teams will be fighting in the abandoned city area again. To make things even more interesting, each member of the teams are set in a different area of the battle zone, so no one is with another ally at the beginning of the battle. If they want to team up, they have to find their allies, and be wary of surprise attacks from their enemies.

"Great, so we're basically on our own unless we can find our teammates, and the enemy can surprise us at any turn. Just wonderful," Sarah mutters from her position.

Just then, the judge arrives.

"Scanning... Scanning... This area is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personal must vacate the area immediately. The Fluegel Team vs the Lockhart Team. Battle mode 0-9-9-2. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready... Fight!" the judge shouts and the battle begins.

Each member of the two teams begin making their way through the abandoned city, looking for either an ally or an enemy. Colt and his Bravejaguar race through the old streets, keeping his eyes out for any movement.

"Now then, knowing Naomi, she's probably already found a good sniping position in this place. Better keep moving and be wary of the corners. Gotta find Grace or Sarah," Colt says as he turns around one corner and races down a street.

Meanwhile, Grace and her Spinosapper are hiding out in one building, keeping out of the light coming in from any windows or openings in the walls.

"If I end up going up against Leon by myself, I'll be toast, and Naomi will get a clean shot on me if I'm out in the open. Better wait for either Colt or Sarah to get close before moving," Grace says.

Sarah and her Geno Ritter continue moving through the city, looking for any signs of life. As she's moving through the city though, her zoid starts growling and looking around.

"What is it, Geno?" Sarah asks. Just then, something lands in front of her, blowing up dust and debris. When the dust settles, Sarah gets an uneasy feeling in her stomach. "...Of course, I would be the lucky one," she mutters... as she sees the red Blade Liger standing before her.

"Well, looks like my hunch paid off. Alright then, Sarah Lockhart, time to show me what you got," Leon says, and his Blade Liger roars at their opponents.

The Geno Ritter roars back, "Alright then partner, let's give it everything we've got," Sarah says.

The two charge at each other, with the Geno Ritter firing off its laser guns at its opponent. The Blade Liger runs around each shot and then engages its blades. When the two get close, the Blade Liger jumps up at the Geno Ritter, and the Geno Ritter swings its left blade at the Blade Liger. The opposing blades clash for a moment before the Blade Liger lands past the Geno Ritter. The Geno Ritter turns around and fires off its laser guns again, only for the Blade Liger to activate its shield to block them. It charges at the Geno Ritter again with its shield and the Geno Ritter attacks with the charging blade on its head, and then the two clash once again.

Meanwhile, Colt and his Bravejaguar continue roaming through the streets, until his senses pick something up close by, in one of the nearby buildings.

"There you are," Colt mutters, before going in.

When he gets in, he almost gets blasted by incoming fire, but narrowly avoids it. He then sees that its Grace that was the attacker.

"What the Hell, Grace! You almost shot me!" Colt yells.

"Hey, it was an accident. I thought you might be Leon Toros," Grace replies.

"Just be more careful next time. Ugh, this is why I hate these blind battles," Colt says.

Just then, another shot rings out, blasting through the wall of the building they're in, and nearly hitting the Spinosapper in the left side. The two jump and retreat back further into the building. Outside on one of the rooftops, Naomi is seen, with her Gun Sniper poised and ready to fire its sniper cannon.

"Aw, just missed them. Oh well, at least now I know where they are," Naomi notes before taking aim again.

"Aw, great, Naomi knows where we are now," Grace says.

"Listen, I'll draw her fire. My Bravejaguar can keep her busy while you try and find a way to get close to her and ambush her," Colt says before he races out of the building and into the streets.

"Oh, think you can get away, huh? Well, we'll see about that," Naomi says before taking another shot at the Bravejaguar.

Thanks to his zoid's speed and mobility, and his sixth sense, Colt is able to narrowly avoid the shot and keeps running around. However, he knows that if he runs too far away, Naomi may turn her attention back to Grace. Meanwhile, the Spinosapper starts digging through the dirt, using its chainsaws and claws to dig a tunnel underground and towards the building Naomi is on. Naomi fires off a few more shots, this time aimed at the buildings around the area, causing large chunks of them to start falling towards Colt.

"Ah, crap!" Colt mutters before he starts maneuvering around the falling debris.

However, he soon realizes that this wasn't meant to crush him, but to limit his range of movement. Meanwhile, the Spinosapper emerges from under gound, behind the building Naomi is on, and starts climbing its way to the top.

Back with Sarah and Leon, the two leaders are battling fiercely in a one-on-one duel. The Blade Liger fires off its shock cannons, but the Geno Ritter jumps back to avoid them before landing and firing off its laser guns again. The Blade Liger jumps up into the air, landing on the side of a building to evade them and then bounces off of it towards the Geno Ritter. The Geno Ritter swings its blades at its opponent, but the Blade Liger uses its thrusters to fly over them and land on the Geno Ritter's back before jumping off, making the Geno Ritter stagger a bit.

"Your zoid has a lot of power and potential, but you have yet to draw out its true strength. Come on, why don't you try that one move you did in the previous battle?" Leon notes as he faces his opponent again.

"Just you wait. I'll get you. Let's go, Geno!" Sarah shouts.

The Geno Ritter roars before charging at the Blade Liger again, who responds in kind with its blades out once more.

 _"Come on Geno, I know you can do this. Let's show him what we're capable of. Together!"_ Sarah thinks.

Just then, the same thing as before happens, with a pair of tubes connecting to Sarah's head, and the main screen showing the words 'Z-Link system engaged'. Her vision changes as the Geno Ritter's eyes glow brighter again. When the two combatants get close, the Blade Liger attack with its left blade, only for the Geno Ritter to catch the blade with its left claw, stopping it cold.

"What?!" Leon yells, surprised.

Back with Colt and Grace, the Bravejaguar continues to try to evade the Gun Sniper's attacks. However, with each shot missed, Naomi is getting closer to landing a direct hit.

 _"Man, this guy is fast. His instincts are top-notch, too. However, even he can't keep this up forever,"_ Naomi thinks.

Meanwhile, the Spinosapper finally makes it to the top of the building, coming up on the Gun Sniper from behind. Though the head and main cockpit is facing Grace, since Naomi is focused on Colt, she doesn't see her coming.

"Gotcha now," Grace mutters.

The Spinosapper lunges at the Gun Sniper. However, when it gets close, the roof underneath its feet suddenly gives way and falls apart.

"What the-?!" Grace yells as her zoid falls to the ground.

"Heh, did you really think you could get the drop on me? That's my job. I figured you would try something like this, so I damaged the roof behind me and simply waited for one of you to get close enough to spring the trap," Naomi says over the comms.

 _"She knew what we were planning to do?!"_ Grace thinks in shock before her zoid crashes onto the ground.

"And now then," Naomi says before she fires off another shot at the Spinosapper, landing a precise hit on its side, causing the system to freeze up.

"Argh, are you kidding me!" Grace yells.

"Grace!" Colt yells.

"Better worry about yourself before your teammate, kid," Naomi says before firing off her sniper cannon at another building, causing more debris to fall to the ground; this time blocking the Bravejaguar's path.

"Ah, crap!" Colt yells.

"Checkmate," Naomi notes before firing off another sniper shot at the Bravejaguar. Thanks to its light armor, the shot deals heavy damage, making the zoid fall and its system to freeze up.

Colt punches the main screen, "Damn, and we almost had her, too!" Colt curses in defeat.

Naomi breathes a sigh of relief, _"I won't say this out loud, but these kids actually had a good strategy for me. I had to be careful in order to win. With some more skills and experience, they would give me a real run for my money. Now then, I wonder how Leon's doing,"_ Naomi thinks before looking out to the sky.

Back with Sarah and Leon, the Geno Ritter still has the Blade Liger's blade in its grip. It roars before raising its left blade and then swinging downwards at its opponent.

"Oh, no you don't!" Leon yells.

The Blade Liger opens its mouth and catches the blade in its jaws, holding it in place. The Geno Ritter roars again before trying to attack with its right blade. The Blade Liger engages its thrusters and turns them 90 degrees to its left, using the thrust to eventually force the Geno Ritter to release its hold on it before it can attack. With the two separated, Leon faces his opponent again.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about. Nice move with the catch there," Leon says, but then notices how Sarah isn't responding to him. "Hey, Sarah, you in there?" he calls out, but gets no response.

The Geno Ritter roars again, only this time it seems a little less controlled than before.

 _"Geno, what's wrong? My head... it hurts,"_ Sarah thinks as she grits her teeth.

"What's going on here?" Leon mutters.

Just then, the Geno Ritter engages its foot clamps and straightens its body out. Its preparing to fire its charged particle cannon. Leon narrows his eyes and engages its shield again and charges at the Geno Ritter. The Geno Ritter fires off its particle cannon at its target, but the Blade Liger's shield holds up against the attack. The Blade liger charges forth, using its thrusters to give it the push it need, and then gets onto the Geno Ritter's left side, using its blade to slice deep into the side of the Geno Ritter. The Geno Ritter stops its attack and roars in pain, but the Blade Liger quickly slide back around and fires off its shock cannons and its laser guns at the Geno's rear, dealing further damage. The Geno Ritter roars again, but refuses to go down.

"Man, what's it gonna take to take this thing down?" Leon mutters.

The Geno Ritter turns back to face it. However, it is then that Leon notices something. The Geno Ritter's eyes dim and then suddenly it falls to the ground, its system frozen. The Z-Link system deactivates and gos back to normal. Then the gong rings out.

"Battle over... Battle over... The winner is... The Fluegel Team," the judge announces.

In their zoids, Grace and Colt sag in their seats.

"Aw man, guess that's it for us," Grace laments.

"Guess we still have a lot to learn before we can take on a class A team like them. Hey, Sarah, you read me?" Colt calls out, but gets no answer. "Sarah?"

With Leon, he jumps out of his zoid and approaches the Geno Ritter.

"Sarah, you alright in there?" Leon calls out. Getting no answer, he moves to the Geno Ritter's cockpit and finds a switch to force an emergency opening. "Sarah, you okay?" Leon calls out, finding Sarah in her cockpit, unconscious. "Sarah!" he yells.

…

After an unknown amount of time has passed, Sarah finally opens her eyes.

"Ugh, what happened?" she mutters, groaning.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty. Welcome back to the land of the living," she hears and looks to see Colt and Grace by her side.

"You had us worried there for a second," Grace notes.

"What happened?" Sarah says, finding herself in a bed.

"We lost the final round to the Fluegel Team. After the battle, Leon got your cockpit opened and found you unconscious inside. We pulled you out and brought you to a local medical center in town," Grace explains.

Sarah's eyes downcast at learning of their defeat, "Oh, I see. What happened with Geno?" she asks about her partner.

"The Geno Ritter took some damage, same with the rest of our zoids. I can tell you now, it won't be cheap to get everything fixed up," Colt explains.

"Look who's finally awake," they hear and look back to see Leon and Naomi enter the room. "Good to see you're awake now," Leon says.

"Hey, kid, how are you feeling?" Naomi asks.

"Fine. Just... drained," Sarah replies.

"Sarah, do you know what happened out there? Was it one of my attacks that knocked you out?" Leon asks.

Sarah thinks for a moment, "...No, it wasn't that. During the battle, that system started up again," Sarah begins.

"What system?" Leon asks.

"It's something called the Z-Link system. We don't really know anything about it, but from what Sarah has told us, it seems to connect the pilot and the zoid on a whole other level. Their point-of-views become combined, and their senses as well. Also, the zoid's performance increases as well. However, she's only used it once before, and it never did this before," Colt explains.

"I see. Can you tell me what was going through your mind when that happened, during our battle?" Leon asks.

"Well, at first, everything was going like it did before. We were connected and we were doing well, but then something changed. I could feel it. I could feel Geno's strong desire to fight and to win, so much that it overwhelmed my own. My head started hurting and it felt more like Geno was taking over rather than us working together. After that I just blacked out. I don't know if that explains it well enough," Sarah tries to explain.

"What do you think Leon?" Naomi asks.

"Hmmm, I think... you need to learn more about the Geno Ritter. About where it came from, and what it's capable of. You got lucky this time around, but what about next time?" Leon suggests.

Sarah nods before looking out a window, _"What secrets lie within you, Geno?"_

…

"The Lockhart Team is steadily rising through the ranks. What's more, that Geno Ritter is gaining more and more attention from the higher-ups. They must be dealt with. Try and take the Geno Ritter if you can, but if not, destroy it," one unknown voice rings out.

"Understood... Let the hunt commence," another voice replies.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. The battle royal comes to an end, with Sarah's team losing the final round to Leon and Naomi. However, the incident with the Geno Ritter has now raised more questions, and concerns, regarding the secrets within its past. What challenges await Sarah and her team? Will they uncover anything about the Geno Ritter's past? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	15. Chapter 15: The Rules have Changed

**Here we are at Chapter 15. Things are about to heat up now. Time for a little surprise here and there in this chapter. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 15. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: The Rules have Changed**

After the tournament ended, the members of Team Lockhart received a small prize for coming in second place, which was some prize money. Unfortunately, they had to use quite a bit of it to repair their zoids, which took a beating at the hands of the Fluegel Team. Currently, the team is making preparations to leave the city and move on to the next town for their next zoid battle. However, Sarah Lockhart is speaking with her Geno Ritter, trying to find some answers.

"Geno, what the Hell happened in that last battle? That same system activated, only this time it started hurting my head. Was that your doing?" Sarah asks her partner. The Geno Ritter just stares at her, making no motion as if it never heard her question. "Geno, please, I'm your partner. I trust you, but you need to tell me what's going on," Sarah pleads with her partner.

The Geno Ritter glances away, looking as if it's thinking about an answer. Eventually, it looks back to her and opens up its cockpit for her. Sarah hops inside, and the main screen comes on again.

"Come on, Geno, show me something. Anything to help me understand what's going on with you," Sarah asks. The Geno Ritter does something and the main screen suddenly brings up the Z-Link system, as well as some information on it. Sarah reads over the information. "Z-Link system. Experimental system based off the Organoid system. Designed to fuse the minds of zoid and pilot to increase reaction time and performance. Danger: pilot and zoid must be compatible. Risk of damage to pilot brain functions. If used too often, will increase the possible risk of... irreparable drain damage... and death," Sarah reads off, the sense of dread slowly rising within her. "Geno, what is this? What is going on?" Sarah asks fearfully. The Geno Ritter purrs a bit, as if trying to calm her worries, though it doesn't seem to help much. "Geno, have you had other pilots before me?" Sarah asks.

This time, the Geno Ritter makes no noise or actions in reply, and this only seems to make Sarah worry more. However, the voices of Grace and Colt take her thoughts elsewhere.

"Hey, Sarah, you okay in there? We need to get going," Grace calls out.

"Yeah, we need to start heading to the next town," Colt adds.

"I know. We're, uh, we're good to go!" Sarah calls out.

The group finish packing up and leave Romeo City, intent on reaching the next town, Arcacia Town, within the next few days. Hitting the road in their Gustavs, the group leave early in the morning to cover more ground.

"So, you guys remember why we originally came here, right?" Colt asks through the comms from his Gustav.

"Yes, we remember. We came to participate in the battle royal event in order to make ourselves look like a delicious enough meal to draw out the NBG for a feast. You think we did a good enough job in getting their attention?" Grace replies.

"Well, if they do attack, then we did our job. Which is both good, and possibly bad, in a way. However, if they don't, then either they won't come until much later, we didn't do a good enough job of drawing them out, or they went after some other team that's making it in the news. Though, with my skills, I'm sure that's pretty hard to do," Colt replies.

"If they do attack us, we're using you as a shield first," Grace deadpans, but then notices how Sarah hasn't said or done anything in this conversation. "Hey, Sarah, you okay?" Grace asks.

Sarah then flunks out of her stupor, "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine," she says unconvincingly.

"Oh, please, don't even try to play it off. There's something on your mind, isn't there. And I'll bet it has something to do with your Geno Ritter," Grace figures it out.

Sarah sighs, "You guessed it... I was able to get Geno to show me some stuff regarding that Z-Link system from before," she says.

"Oh, and what did you find out?" Grace asks, getting curious.

"I found out that the Z-Link system was some kind of experimental system designed to increase the performance of the zoid by fusing its mind with the mind of its pilot. I remember when it happened to me, it was like I was seeing through his eyes, feeling what he was feeling," Sarah explains.

"Wow, that sounds pretty cool. Two minds working as one. Sounds like something out of a science fiction novel," Colt says through the comms.

"More like a horror film. The information Geno should me also stated that it can only work with pilots that are deemed compatible. If the pilot isn't, then it doesn't end well," Sarah replies.

"What do you mean by 'doesn't end well'?" Grace asks, getting a little worried now.

"There's a risk of damaging the brain of the pilot if the system is used too many times. Damage to the brain that can't be repaired, and in extreme cases... death," Sarah admits.

Now, Grace and Colt are worried, "Wait, so if things don't go well between the zoid and the pilot, this system will fry the pilot's brain basically?" Colt asks.

"Yes, and when I asked Geno if he had any pilots before me, he didn't answer. It didn't make me feel any better," Sarah adds.

"Do you think that it's had pilots that weren't compatible and ended up... you know, kicking the bucket?" Colt asks.

"Real nice way to ask that question, you idiot," Grace notes.

"Hey, I'm just saying," Colt defends himself.

"Look, I don't know and I'm not sure I want to know. All I do know is that I need to be more careful from now on with that system whenever I'm fighting with Geno," Sarah says.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Colt asks.

"What kind of question is that?" Sarah says, getting angry at being asked such a question and what it implies.

"Hey, I'm just saying, your zoid has some secrets in it, and they may not be good ones. I'm just trying to look out for ya," Colt defends himself again.

"I am NOT leaving Geno because of some computer system some people put into him in the past. I'll just have to be more careful and learn how to get better with the Z-Link system, alright. And the next time you even think of starting to ask that question again, I'll feed you to him," Sarah threatens him.

"Whoa, no need to go that far. Grace, help me out here," Colt says.

Grace shrugs her shoulders, "Let's be honest, I'm more on her side than yours," she says.

"Ugh, fine, I give up," Colt replies, ending the conversation.

The next leg of the trip doesn't have much going on after that, with Sarah still mad at Colt and Grace trying to make sure that none of them try to kill each other. Soon enough, it starts to get dark out and the team set up camp for the night. Sitting around a camp fire, Sarah stares subtle daggers at Colt, while Grace just sighs at the little dispute between the two, though she can understand why Sarah would be mad. If anyone tried to convince her to give up her Spinosapper, she'd strangle them. Soon enough, Sarah goes to her Geno Ritter as it lowers its nose so she can pet him.

"Aren't you worried about her? About what that thing might do to her?" Colt asks Grace.

Grace sips her drink, "Of course I'm worried, but I'm not about to separate them. I'd be acting just like she is if someone tried to take my Spinosapper from me. Wouldn't you feel the same way about your Bravejaguar?" Grace asks back.

"Well, yeah, but-," Colt begins.

"Then just drop it. It's hypocritical to say something like that when you aren't even able to do it to yourself. Look, Sarah let me join her team when nobody else would. She saw potential in me and my partner, while everyone else saw it as a waste of space except for mining. I trust her, and if she says that she trusts her Geno Ritter, then so do I. I don't expect you to understand, soldier boy. Just drop it, you hear me?" Grace retorts.

Colt is a little surprised by her argument, but sighs and relents, "Fine, fine, I'll drop it. Being made to look like the bad guy here isn't my style anyway," he says, raising his hands in defeat.

However, just as things start to quiet down,the Geno Ritter looks up and starts growling. A second later, sudden explosions start ringing out all around them. Dirt and smoke go up in the air as more explosions occur, and they all drop to the ground.

"What's going on?!" Grace yells.

"We're under attack, that's what! We need to get to our zoids!" Colt yells back.

"You guys hurry, I'll cover you!" Sarah says as she gets into Geno's cockpit and takes to the fight. "Alright, so who's attacking us?" she mutters as she looks out into the darkness to see a group of black Command Wolves equipped with long range laser cannons on their backs and small rocket pods on the front legs. She also notices the letters 'NBG' on the sides of them. "It's the Neo Backdraft Group!" Sarah shouts as her Geno fires back with its laser guns.

The Wolves scatter and the Geno Ritter engages its thrusters to give chase. One Command Wolf fires off its rocket pods at it, but the Geno Ritter jumps into the air over the shots and lands in front of it. Swinging its right blade, it decapitates the Command Wolf, disabling it. It then turns around to fire off some more shots at a few other enemy zoids. One Command Wolf fires its laser cannon from behind, but the Geno Rotter evades it.

"It won't be that-Ah!" Sarah yells when she gets hit from her left flank by another Command Wolf. "They're surrounding me!" she says.

The second wolf attacks again, only for a few missiles to hit its side and send it crashing into the sand. Sarah looks to see the Spinosapper and the Bravejaguar join the battle.

"Thanks for giving us some cover, Sarah. Now, time for some payback!" Grace yells as she fires off the Spinosapper's gatling guns.

The pack of Command Wolves scatter again, but one gets stopped by Colt's Bravejaguar landing in front of it. It fires off its rocket pods, but the Bravejaguar jumps around them. It goes to attack up close, but the enemy fires at the ground, blowing up smoke and dust to mask it. The Bravejaguar misses its mark, but then jumps out of the way just in time to avoid a shot from the side by another Command Wolf.

"These guys are good! We need to be careful!" Colt says.

Sarah maneuvers the Geno Ritter around, stabbing its charging blade into the side of one Command Wolf, lifting it into the air, and then throwing it off to the side. She then uses its blades to block a few shots from a pair of other Command Wolves.

"These guys are getting really annoying. Looks like that plan to use us as bait to lure them out worked like a charm. For better or worse!" Sarah notes.

"It's about to get worse," she hears over the comms and then gets rocked in her seat as more explosions ring out around her.

"AHH!" Sarah shouts.

"Sarah!" Grace says, but gets blocked by a few more Command Wolves. "Damn it!"

Sarah and the Geno Ritter look back to see a new mass enter the fray, a large one. Soon enough the figure comes out from the darkness, and Sarah gasps as seeing what kind of zoid it is.

"Is that... A Geno Breaker?" Sarah mutters.

"Wrong. This... is the Geno Scissors," the voice rings out again, apparently from the pilot of the new zoid.

Now taking the chance to get a better look at it, Sarah has to admit that it in fact doesn't look quite like a Geno Breaker. The body is blue in color instead of red, and there is no charging blade on the head. The X-breakers on the sides are replaced by a single curved, jagged blade on each sub-arm, called X-scissors. Along with the X-scissors are a pair of assault beam cannons. Thrusters are on the back along with a pair of smaller ones on the legs.

"A Geno Scissors," Sarah mutters fearfully.

The Geno Ritter roars at its new opponent, while the Geno Scissors roars in return, only its roar is louder and more menacing. Thinking fast, Sarah fires off her laser guns, but the Geno Scissors moves the shields on its sub-arms to block the shots and then charges at them with its thrusters engaged. The Geno Ritter meets the charge and the pair clash with their blades against one another. However, the Geno Scissors begins to push the Geno Ritter back. The Geno Ritter digs its feet into the sand to hold its ground, but it does little to stop it. Next, the Geno Scissors launches its claws, grabbing onto the arms of the Geno Ritter, and then sends an electric shock through the cables to the Geno Ritter.

"AHHH!" Sarah screams from the electric shock along with the Geno Ritter.

"Sarah!" Colt yells as he continues to battle a few other Command Wolves, jumping away to evade their fire.

The Geno Scissors retracts its claws and then smashes its head against the Geno Ritter, knocking it back, and then fires off its beam cannons. The Geno Ritter uses its thrusters to dodge them and comes back for more. It jumps into the air in an attempt to crash down on the Geno Scissors, but its opponent spins around and swings its tail at it, sending the Geno Ritter crashing into the ground. As the Geno Ritter gets up, the Geno Scissors attacks with its X-scissor blades, one of them scraping along the left side of the Geno Ritter's body. The Geno Ritter attempts to return the favor, but its blade gets blocked by the X-scissors shield.

"Too slow," the Geno Scissor's pilot notes.

The Geno Scissors knocks into the side of the Geno Ritter and then fires off its beam cannons again, this time doing some more damage. The Geno Ritter jumps back to regain its bearings before facing its opponent again.

 _"This isn't good. We were supposed to lure them out like we planned, but if we don't do something, we'll all end up as bloody stains in the dirt,"_ Sarah thinks before she looks to the main screen again. _"I know that Colt said I should be careful, but I don't think we have a choice right now. Geno, please. I need your help,"_ Sarah thinks.

Sarah's thought reach the Geno Ritter and it engages the Z-Link system again, with their minds connecting once more. The Geno Ritter roars at its opponent and charges again. The Geno Scissors roars in kind and fires off its beam cannons again. The Geno Ritter races around each shot as it gets close. Both zoids swing their blades at each other, clashing steel with steel. The Geno Ritter makes charge with the blade on its head, finally managing to get a hit in on the left side of the Geno Scissors. The Geno Ritter tries to fire its laser gun at it, but the sub-arm's shield blocks the shots again. The Geno Scissors then fires off its claws again, but the Geno Ritter dodges one and catches the other. It pulls on the cable, but the Geno Ritter swings around and smacks its head into the lower jaw of the Geno Ritter, causing it to release the claw. The Geno Ritter tries to attack again, only for the Gebo Scissors fires off its claws again, latching onto its enemy again, and delivering another electric shock. Only this time, the shock feels worse because of the minds being connected. Sarah and the Geno Ritter scream and roar in pain. However, even after the shock ends, the Z-Link system and the Geno Ritter cause further pain for Sarah; so much so that it causes her nose to bleed.

 _"I can't keep this up. Geno, please, you have to work WITH me,"_ Sarah thinks amidst the pain.

The Geno Scissors charges and smashes into the Geno Ritter, causing it to fall to the ground. Sarah has barely enough strength left to lift her head... only to see the Geno Scissors engaged its foot clamps and open its mouth to ready its charged particle cannon.

"The hunt... is over," the Geno Scissors' pilot says.

"Sarah, get out of there!" Grace shouts, while cutting through a Command Wolf with her Spinosapper's chainsaws.

But Sarah is unable to do anything, even after the Z-Link system shuts down, while the Geno Scissors prepares to attack. However, before it can fire, unknown rockets fly in and hit all around the Geno Scissors, a few of them hitting the zoid itself. More shots ring out, hitting the remaining Command Wolves fighting the rest of the team.

"What the Hell?!" Colt shouts.

"What's going on?!" Grace adds.

Sarah weakly looks up to see a large mass on a nearby hill. The mass moves slowly before finally revealing itself... to be an Elephander AG. The Elephander roars as it swings its trunk around.

"I think that's enough from you guys," they hear a deep voice over the comms. "Elephander, take them out," the voice says.

The Elephander roars again before firing off its missile launcher again, along with its beam guns and machine guns in the trunk at the enemy. The shots take out the rest of the Command Wolves and deal more damage to the Geno Scissors.

"Argh, we'll meet again," the Geno Scissors' pilot says before firing off more shots from its beam cannons at the ground.

The shots blow up smoke, and when it clears, the Geno Scissors has disappeared.

"They're gone," Grace says as she breathes a sigh of relief.

"Sarah, you okay?!" Colt calls out.

They move their zoids over to the Geno Ritter on the ground, get out, and force open the hatch to find Sarah unconscious again, and see her nose bleed.

"SARAH!" they both yell.

Just then, the Elephander AG approaches them and opens its cockpit, revealing a tall, older man with short blue hair as the pilot.

"Who are you?!" Grace yells.

The man jumps and lands near them, "My name is Stoller. And it seems you guys need some help," Stoller says.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. The team lure out the NBG, but it goes horribly wrong. And Sarah meets a pilot with his Geno Scissors, and they're both after her and her Geno Ritter. However, they are saved by the timely arrival of Stigma Stoller and his Elephander. However, Sarah is far from safe right now. Will Team Lockhart be alright? Will Sarah ever master the Z-Link system with the Geno Ritter, before it's too late? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	16. Chapter 16: Bonds and Dreams

**Here we are at Chapter 16. Things get serious for Team Lockhart ever since the last chapter. Let's see if they can survive the trials that lie ahead. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 16. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Bonds and Dreams**

At a ZBC outpost, the members of Team Lockhart, along with Stoller, rest and get their zoids repaired. Meanwhile, Sarah receives medical attention for her condition. In one room at the outpost, Sarah lies unconscious in a bed, an I.V. strapped to her arm, and bandages wraaped around her head as she sleeps. Grace and Colt sit and stand next to her respectively. Soon enough, Stoller and Roderick Smith enter the room.

"How's Miss Lockhart's condition?" Roderick asks.

"The doctor says that she's stabilized, but she'll be in bed for a while. Don't know when exactly she'll wake up, but hopefully it'll be soon," Colt says.

"I see. In regards to the mission, we were able to lure out the NBG, but it didn't go as planned. The arrival of that Geno Scissors was something we didn't expect," Roderick notes.

Grace turns to them, "What was that anyway? I've never even heard of a Geno Scissors before," she notes.

"That's because they weren't really made in the past. The Geno Scissors was a concept of the Geno Breaker, the successor to the Geno Saurer. However, it was never developed in the past, and after the conflicts ended long ago, all data regarding them was thought to have been lost. It seems we were wrong in that regard, among other things," Roderick explains.

Grace gets mad at that, "Among other things'? My leader, and friend, is unconscious after we agreed to be your bait for the NBG, and who knows what else may have happened to her during that battle. Excuse me if I don't see your 'other things' as being the most important problem right now!" she gets in his face as her voice gets louder.

"I think it would be best to continue this discussion in another room. Let your leader get her rest," Stoller intervenes.

Grace looks back to Sarah, worried that she might've interrupted her sleep. She calms down and nods, and the group leave to allow Sarah to rest. They move through the hall, coming across two people, a woman and another man. Sanders and Pierce.

"Captain, how's Team Lockhart's leader?" Sanders asks, standing at attention.

"No need to be so stiff, Sanders. Sarah Lockhart is resting for the time being. Best to leave her be for right now," Stoller explains.

"Sir," Sanders nods in reply.

"So, sleeping beauty's still out cold huh. That battle must've really knocked her head around huh," the woman notes.

"Um, who are they?" Grace asks.

"These are Sanders and Pierce. You see, they, like Stoller, are all former members of the Backdraft Group," Roderick says.

"WHAT?! These guys are with the same bastards that hurt Sarah!" Grace yells, raging.

"We WERE with the Backdraft Group, but we left that organization a long time ago, before the royal cup several months ago. We're official zoid warriors now," Sanders retorts.

"And even when we were with the group, we didn't fight like this Neo Backdraft Group fights. Not our style," Pierce adds.

"You see, they have been providing us with information regarding to the Backdraft Group's operations. It is primarily because of them that we were able to arrest a large number of their clients and shut down several of their other operations after the royal cup. We were hoping they could shed some light on these recent events," Roderick explains.

Colt places a hand on Grace's shoulder, "Grace, cool it. Remember, if it wasn't for Stoller here, we'd all be fried by now. Let's just move on and focus on what we can do now," Colt says.

Grace glares at the former BG members for a moment before groaning a bit, but nods anyway. The group head off into another room to continue their discussion. However, while they're gone, Sarah slowly comes to in her bed, groaning in pain as she opens her eyes. Back with the others, they pick up from where they left off.

"So, where do we go from here?" Colt asks, standing behind Grace who sits in a chair.

"Well, first our new friends here believe they have a theory regarding the NBG," Roderick says, gesturing to Stoller's group.

"And that would be?" Grace asks, still a little angry.

"That these people aren't really members of the former Backdraft Group," Stoller says.

This gets their attention, "And what would make you think that?" Colt asks.

"When the Backdraft Group was in operation, they're goal was to take over the zoid battles, to run the show as they see fit. However, there were some lines that even they didn't cross. What's more, mindlessly destroying zoids and critically injuring pilots isn't exactly the best way to make money. When the Backdraft Group takes over a zoid battle, one of their stipulations is that if they win, they get all of the losing team's zoids. This way they can make a good profit off of them rather than simply destroy them. But these people, they don't seem to even care about that. This NBG organization isn't acting at all like the original BG. Now, organizations can change over time, but not this much in such a short span of time," Pierce explains.

"That's why we believe that them calling themselves the Neo Backdraft Group is just a ploy to through the ZBC off. Make them think there still facing the same organization, even if their tactics have changed," Sanders adds.

"Okay then, so who are they really?" Grace asks.

"We don't really know, to be honest. One thing we do know is that they have access to zoids, even ones thought to no longer exist. What's more, they may have knowledge and research related to ancient zoids that were thought to be extinct. Having the data for them, and the capabilities to develop them means that these people have resources and money," Stoller says.

"Okay, then why haven't you been able to find them? How about that?" Grace asks.

"We don't know. We usually retreated from battle in Whale Kings, so we could escape fast without much issue. Sometimes, we'd use stealth tech as well. I don't know if they have any Whale Kings, but they do seem to have some tech that allows them to escape without being detected. Coming in and out at night seems to help them a bit as well," Sanders informs them.

"Could they be using tech that the old BG group used to own?" Colt asks.

"Possibly, but we can't be sure. Th ZBC took down much of the BG's operations after the royal cup, but there's a chance they missed some of them, and this group came in and loaded up shop," Sanders says.

"Okay, so how-," Grace begins before she sees one doctor race by their room, followed by a few aids. "Now what's going on?" she asks.

They follow the workers to find themselves back at Sarah's room, which causes Grace to get worried. They push their way through to find Sarah, awake and out of her bed, trying to push the doctors back.

"Miss Lockhart, you can't go anywhere. You need to calm down and rest!" one doctor says, holding her left arm.

"I have to see Geno. I need to know he's alright!" Sarah yells.

"You can't right now. Arrgh, get the anesthetic," another doctor says.

"Leave her alone!" Grace comes to Sarah's defense as she punches one doctor in the face.

"Alright, that's enough!" Roderick calls out, getting everyone's attention. "I think that's enough chaos for one morning. Miss Lockhart, if you'll calm down, we'll take you to see your zoid," he suggests.

At hearing this Sarah calms down and suddenly falls onto her knees on the floor. Grace kneels down to help her while Roderick motions for one of the doctors to get her a wheelchair for the time being. After helping Sarah into the wheel chair, Grace wheels her out of the room, followed by Colt and the others. They come outside, seeing ZBC soldiers and personnel roaming around the area, while others stand guard with their weapons at the ready in certain areas. They move to a large hanger building and head inside, finding several zoids inside along with the Lockhart Team's zoids. The Bravejaguar and the Spinosapper seem to have had their damage repaired. However, further down they see the Geno Ritter, the damage it took in the previous battle still present.

"Geno!" Sarah calls out. The Geno Ritter turns its head to her and roars a gentle roar at her presence. "Why haven't you repaired him yet?" Sarah asks.

"We tried, but he won't let any of our people near him. Every time we try, he scares them away. It seems he won't let us help. We figured that would change if you were here," Roderick explains.

"Grace, a little help," Sarah asks.

Grace nods and wheels Sarah up to the Geno Ritter. The Geno Ritter slowly lowers its head to Sarah so she can pet him, and she notices some sparks creeping out on its left side. The Geno Ritter is in bad shape, much like her.

"Heh, I guess we're both a little beat up, huh partner," Sarah mutters with a sad smile. The Geno Ritter purrs in reply. "Will you please try and fix him now?" Sarah asks.

"Yes, we should be able to get to work now," Roderick says and goes to get the mechanics.

"So, this is the Geno Ritter up close. Seeing a Geno Saurer is one thing, but seeing this is something else entirely," Pierce notes as she walks up, only for the Geno Ritter to growl at her.

"Careful, he doesn't like strangers. Best to leave him be for right now until he gets repaired," Grace tells her.

With that being said, Sarah helps keep the Geno Ritter calm enough for the workers to repair him. After a couple hours, the Geno Ritter is fully repaired and looking good as new. Sarah smiles at seeing her partner all fixed up, but now that he's in the clear, the weight of the ordeal takes over again and she falls into unconsciousness. Grace and Colt check on her, and the Geno Ritter is even worried about her.

"It's alright, she just passed out. I think she's still tired from everything that has happened recently. Let's get her back to her room so she can rest," Grace says.

After taking Sarah back to her room and getting her back into bed, the others left to finish their earlier conversation.

"So, now that our original planned worked 'oh so well'... what do we do now?" Grace notes.

"Well, it's pretty clear that they're after the Geno Ritter after this last ambush, so there's a good chance that they may come again. What I propose is-," Roderick begins.

"We are NOT using Sarah and Geno as bait!" Grace quickly exclaims, livid at the idea.

"Calm down, Miss Flintwood. That's not what we are suggesting. We are actually taking a step back from that for now," Roderick says.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Colt asks.

"This unknown group is after the Geno Ritter. Now it's a rare zoid, so of course they would be interested in it. However, we believe there may be more to it than that. First, we would like to know if you have learned anything regarding the Geno Ritter's origins, how it came to be and end up on Zi Mountain, if you would," Sanders asks.

Grace gets defensive, "Beats me. I know about as much as Sarah knows, and she doesn't know much," Grace says. _"If I tell this soldier boy everything we've learned about the Geno Ritter so far, they may try to confiscate it and take him away from Sarah. I am not going to let that happen."_

"I see. Agent Wilson, what about you?" Roderick asks.

Grace glances back at Colt, worried that he may spill the beans.

"Sorry, but I don't know much either. Too busy trying to make sure my teammates and I don't get killed by a group of psychos in case you didn't notice," Colt says.

Grace is surprised that he kept what they learned away from his superiors, but she does her best to hide it. The rest of the group glance at each other before nodding in reply.

"Okay then. Guess that means you'll have to find out for yourselves why they're so interested in the Geno Ritter," Stoller says.

"Any hints on how to begin with that objective?" Colt asks.

"Unfortunately, we don't have much answer for you there," Pierce replies.

Grace sighs, "Great, so we're basically stuck," she notes.

"... I think you kids should get some rest for now. Perhaps with some rest, we can figure out a plan for this little venture," Stoller replies.

"Fine by me," Colt says and gives them a mock salute before he and Grace take their leave.

"You sure they'll be okay?" Pierce asks.

"I don't know, but we don't have much choice right now. We'll just have to play with the hand we're dealt and see what comes of it," Roderick replies.

Back with Sarah, she's still sleeping in her room. However, she soon finds herself on a rocky shore, overlooking the ocean. She's having a dream.

 _"Where am I?"_ Sarah wonders. She turns around to find herself in some abandoned facility of sorts.

Walking around, she finds all of the buildings in ruin. Soon enough, she comes up upon a building in the shape of a small pyramid and feels something compelling her to go inside. Inside the building, she finds more equipment in shambles. However, the scenery soon changes, and she finds herself in a large room. She looks around, but her vision doesn't feel like her own, like it's someone else's, and is a little blurry.

 _"Should we continue with more test subjects?"_ she hears one male voice ring out.

 _"No, we've lost enough expendables for today. We need to calibrate the system more if we are to improve the chances of finding a suitable pilot for the link,"_ another replies. Sarah then hears something roar loudly at the two dark figures. _"It seems our friend here still doesn't want to listen. Commence reeducation procedure again. Double the voltage this time,"_ she hears, followed by a deadly shock that makes her head hurt for some reason. More roaring is heard before the shock eventually ends and Sarah is holding her head, breathing heavily. _"Hopefully it will be more cooperative for the next round of tests. We need to perfect this system soon. When will the next batch of candidates arrive?"_ the voice asks.

 _"The day after tomorrow, I believe. Hopefully one of them will be the one we're looking for,"_ the first voice replies.

 _"We'll worry about that later. Get that things restrained and back in its cage until the next test run. We have work to do,"_ the second voice says.

Sarah then finds the scenery around her changing once again, only now she's high above the clouds, overlooking the continent, specifically in the northwestern most edge of the continent. After that, everything goes white, and Sarah gasps as she opens her eyes to find herself back in the medical room.

"Hey, you okay?" she hears and looks to her left to see Grace and Colt by her side. "You're sweating a bit there," Grace notes with worry.

Sarah groans a bit, "What happened?" she asks.

"After the Geno Ritter got repaired, you passed out, still exhausted, so we took you back here to rest," Grace explains.

"While you were sleeping, we were speaking with Roderick and some former BG guys that are helping the ZBC out with the new enemy," Colt adds.

"You mean the NBG?" Sarah asks.

"Actually, they think it's some kind of ploy to throw us off the scent. Whoever this group is, they're not BG. They're something else entirely," Colt says.

Sarah groans again, resting the back of her right hand on her forehead, "I had a dream. At least, I think it was a dream," she says.

"Well, everyone has dreams when they're asleep," Grace says.

"No, that's not what I meant. I was at some kind of abandoned facility, and what looked to be a lab that was still in operation. I couldn't see well, but I heard a few voices talking about some system and 'test candidates', and then there was an electric shock that hurt. As I was looking around, it felt like my eyes weren't my own, like I wasn't looking with my own eyes. After that, I was overlooking the continent at its northwestern most section. After that, everything went white and then I woke up," Sarah explains.

Colt hums, "Hmm, that definitely sounds weird," he notes, hand on his chin.

"I know, I know, I'm going crazy," Sarah replies.

"Maybe, or maybe this is some kind of sign," Colt says, confusing the two girls. "Just hear me out. You aid that it didn't feel like you were looking through your eyes, correct?" he asks, and Sarah nods. "Well, you said that the Z-Link system connects your mind with the Geno Ritter's correct? Well, what if it did more than just connect your minds for battle? What if somehow you just witnessed one of the Geno Ritter's memories?" Colt suggests.

"Wait, now you're going crazy. Zoids don't have memories... do they?" Grace asks.

"Well, there's not a whole lot of data on that sort of thing, but one thing comes to mind. I've heard about some certain zoids that learn from their battles and get stronger because of it. That they can memorize their opponents' battle tactics and react accordingly. They may have memories for more than just battles. What if the Geno Ritter possesses such an ability? You guys have seen it; that Geno Ritter is no ordinary zoid," Colt explains.

"Well, you have a point there. He always did feel different than any other zoid I've encountered," Sarah notes.

"Okay, so how about after you've fully recovered, we take a little field trip to this mysterious facility in your dream and see if there's anything there that we can find. Maybe the Geno Ritter will react in a way that will help us learn more about it," Colt says.

"The ZBC big shots want us to look into the Geno Ritter's past to find out why the bad guys are so interested in it. They didn't have any ideas on where to start, but perhaps this little dream of yours is the answer to our problem," Grace says.

"Maybe, but I'm worried about how Geno will react to this. If that was one of his memories, it wasn't a good one and I don't know if he'll want to go there," Sarah says.

"Well, if anyone can convince him to go, it's you, but for now, you just get some rest. We'll worry about everything else tomorrow," Colt says. Sarah eventually nods and falls back asleep. Colt and Grace decide to leave so she can rest and head down the hallway. "Okay, go ahead and ask the question?" Colt asks Grace.

"Why didn't you tell the others about what we learned about the Geno Ritter?" Grace asks.

"Because I'm sure if I did, they wouldn't let the Geno Ritter out of their sight. What you said that one time really hit me in the face. This isn't just the ZBC's mission, it's our mission. And while I do work for them, I am a zoid warrior first, and my main concern is myself, my zoid, and my teammates. So there," Colt explains.

"Heh, and here I thought you were just some idiotic peeping tom that thought he was all that," Grace playfully notes.

"Thanks for the support," Colt deadpans.

However, as they walk by, none of them notice Stoller behind one corner, having heard what they just said. He crosses his arms as he watches them go.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Team Lockhart find their next objective being to unlock the mystery of the Geno Ritter's past, with Sarah giving them their first clue. Sarah's connection to the Geno Ritter seems to be building, but is that a good thing or not? Will they find out what happened at that abandoned facility? Will they figure out the Geno Ritter's secrets and survive? Until then, please Read and Review**


	17. Chapter 17: Field Trip

**Here we are at Chapter 17. Time for Sarah and her friends to begin uncovering the secrets to the Geno Ritter's past. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 17. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Field Trip**

Grace and Colt finish packing up their gear into their Gustavs, while Sarah tends to the Geno Ritter. With her injuries fully healed, Sarah felt it was time to get moving.

"Listen, Geno, we're going to be going somewhere that you may have been before. I know it may not seem like a good idea to you, but we need to go there if we're to learn more about you." Sarah says, causing the Geno Ritter to growl a bit. "Please, Geno, I want to know more about you. I want to get better at the Z-link system, and I want to become a better partner so I can help you. But, I can't do that by myself. I need you to help me, Geno. So, please... help me now," Sarah asks as she pets the Geno Ritter's nose, who purrs back in response.

As they finish up, Grace and Colt notice Stoller approaching them, "And where are you guys planning on going now?" he asks.

"Well, the boss said that they wanted us to learn more about the Geno Ritter, so we're heading out to figure that out. Can't do much just sitting around here," Colt says, shrugging his shoulders.

"Any ideas on where to start?" Stoller asks.

"We don't know. We were thinking about retracing Sarah's steps from when she first met the Geno Ritter on Zi Mountain or something like that," Grace says.

Stoller crosses his arms, "Would going to some old facility in the northwest be an idea you're thinking about?" he asks.

This spooks them a bit, "W-W-What are you talking about?" Grace tries to play it off.

"Don't play dumb with me. I wasn't born yesterday. I overheard you guys talking inside the other day," Stoller tells them.

"...Okay, so what if we are? You gonna tell the big-wigs?" Colt accuses him.

"This base is located not too far from the center of the continent. If you're going there, it's going to be a long drive, and I'll bet time isn't on your side right now. So... you guys want a ride?" he offers out of the blue.

"Wait... what?" Grace asks, confused.

"I've got my Whale King here at the base. Your Gustavs will fit inside without any issues. I can at least get you guys close to it, and it would take a lot less time than if you were to try and go there by road," Stoller explains.

"But... what's the catch?" Grace asks.

"No catch. I'm curious to learn more about the Geno Ritter myself. I've just never seen a zoid quite like it before," Stoller says.

"You're serious?" Colt asks.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Stoller replies, maintaining his stoic expression.

The tow glance at each other before they nod in agreement and accept his offer. After getting everything set up, and Stoller giving a good excuse as to why he's giving the team a ride, everyone heads out in the Whale King and take off into the sky, heading northwest. The team are stunned by the sheer size of the Whale King's interior, or at least Grace and Sarah are since Colt has been in a Whale King before on a few previous jobs for the ZBC. They look around a bit, with Sarah coming up to find a few Elephander's stationed in the hanger, including the one that Stoller piloted. Staring up at the large zoid, Sarah doesn't notice Stoller walking up behind her.

"Impressive, isn't it?" he says, surprising her a bit.

"Y-yeah, it is. I'm sorry, but I never really got a chance to say it before, so... thank you for helping my team and I out from before," Sarah says, giving him a slight bow in appreciation.

"It wasn't a problem. I remember seeing your first battle with your Geno Ritter on the zoids battle channel. You really got people's attention with that battle," Stoller says.

Sarah sighs, "More like took my breath away when there were people lining up all around my Gustav, trying to get dirt on my partner. It was exhausting," she notes.

Stoller grunts in amusement, "I see. So, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you learn about this facility we're going to?" he asks.

Sarah looks back to her Geno Ritter, "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself. It felt like I was in a dream, only one: it didn't feel like a dream, and two: it felt like it wasn't MY dream. I saw what I think were scientists, talking about new candidates, and shocking something that roars in pain. Then everything goes white, and the next thing I know, I'm floating high in the sky over the place where that facility might be. Then I woke up after that, and you pretty much know the rest. I can't say for certain, but it felt like I was looking through one of Geno's memories. The Z-link system is a system that connects the minds of the pilot and the zoid, designed to help improve the zoid's combat abilities. However, it puts quite a bit of strain on the pilot, so it can only work on a pilot that's compatible. I think through that connection, I was able to peer into Geno's memories and learn about that place," Sarah explains.

Stoller hums for a moment, "What about you? Do you think you're... compatible with the Geno Ritter and this 'Z-link' system?" he asks.

Sarah hesitates for a moment, "I... don't know. The first time I used that system, everything went fine, though. However, every time after that, I could feel my head hurting, and when it really got bad, I would pass out and have nose bleeds. I hope that I'm compatible, but I honestly can't say for certain whether or not I am..." Sarah says, while Stoller just stares at her. "But, be that as it may, I won't stop fighting with Geno. He's my partner, and my best friend. I'll master this system and we'll go on to be the best duo of all time," she says with conviction.

Stoller switches his gaze between her and the Geno Ritter, a few thoughts on his mind, _"It seems this kid has more in common with Bit Cloud than I first thought. Interesting,"_ he mentally notes. "Okay then, what are you going to do when you reach this abandoned facility?" he asks.

Sarah turns back to him, "I'm not sure. What I do know is that if I want to get better with the Z-link system, I need to learn more about Geno. That facility seems to be tied to his past, or at least a part of it. So when we get there, we'll have to look around. There might be something there that can give us some more information," Sarah thinks.

"Well, if this facility is abandoned, there may not be much left of it. There may be nothing of use there," Stoller points out.

"You may be right, but it's our only lead right now, so we'll have to play with the cards we're dealt for right now. I just hope Geno won't mind going back there. From what I can tell, it doesn't seem to be a fond memory for him," Sarah replies.

Stoller hums, "Very well. I'll drop you off close to the facility, and then I'll keep my distance until I hear from you. Call us if something happens, okay?" Stoller offers.

"Thank you, but I gotta ask... why are you helping us like this?" Sarah asks.

Stoller looks back to the Geno Ritter, "You two remind me a lot of Bit Cloud and his Liger Zero. A bond unlike any other. When those two met, it set the stage for many exciting and interesting events. Almost like it was fate. I'm willing to bet the same thing can be said about you and your zoid partner. A zoid thought to be extinct returns from the grave and it gets found by a rookie zoid warrior that just started the zoid battle business. I don't know about you, but I don't believe in coincidence," Stoller explains.

Sarah thinks upon his words and looks back to her partner.

…

Within a couple days, the Whale King has reached the northwestern most part of the continent, close to where the old facility should be. The Whale King lands and opens its mouth, allowing Sarah and her team to pilot their Gustavs out of the massive cruiser. After that, the Whale King takes off back into the sky, but remaining close enough where they can contact them when they're done or if things get hairy. The team drive for a short while and eventually reach the facility, seeing several old, abandoned buildings in front of them. They park their Gustavs and go the rest of the way in their zoids, though Sarah can feel the Geno Ritter's anxiety about being back at this place.

"It's okay, Geno. Just listen to my voice and we'll get through this together... How about you guys; seeing anything yet?" Sarah asks.

"Nothing so far. My scanners aren't picking up anything either," Grace replies.

"I don't like this place. It gives me the creeps," Colt adds.

After a few minutes of walking, they find the large building from her dream, shaped like a pyramid. They find the entrance up ahead, or what's left of it, and find it big enough for the zoids to fit through. Traveling through the main building, the group keep their eyes peeled as they find nothing but old, destroyed equipment, and a severe lack of anything looking like it could provide info on the Geno Ritter. They eventually come to a set of smaller doors that haven't been completely caved in, too small for their zoids to fit through, so they leave their zoids and go on ahead on foot. With Colt helping to clear the way, the team find themselves traversing to some lower levels of the facility.

"This place definitely feels like some secret lab," Grace notes as she looks around.

"If this is a lab, then we need to find some kind of data terminal. Should like a computer on steroids or something. That should hopefully contain their files on the Geno Ritter," Colt says.

"Okay, that's assuming that it still works. Which I highly doubt at this point," Grace adds.

"You're not helping, Grace. Let's just keep looking," Sarah says.

The group move further, eventually finding what appears to be the bottom floor. Forcing a set of doors open, they come across a very large room; one that Sarah recognizes. A large open space big enough to fit a zoid, walkways up above, and computers and equipment all over.

"This is it... This is the room I saw in my dream. Look around, there has to be something we can use here," Sarah says.

The trio look around, trying to get anything working. However, most of the equipment seems to be completely out of use. The fact remains: they don't even know how old this place is, or when it was abandoned. Sarah finds a computer terminal, one a little larger than some of the others, and pokes around and underneath it.

"Colt, think you can give me a hand here?" Sarah calls out.

Colt comes over and kneels down to her level, "Think you found something?" he asks.

"Maybe, but I can't get it to work," Sarah groans.

"Maybe what we need is to find a way to power this stuff. Let's find a generator or something. No use using any of this stuff if it won't turn on," Colt advises her.

"Fine, let's look around," Sarah concurs.

They look throughout the room, all the while Sarah is worried about how Geno is doing up top. Grace looks through some old file cabinets, but finds nothing but dust and cobwebs inside, much to her dismay. Colt pushes some old fallen debris out of the way, finding more trashed computers. Sarah goes off into one corner of the lab, pulling some panels out of the way to find a bunch of wires and dials and switches underneath.

"Oh, please let one of these be an 'on' switch," Sarah mutters as she tries to get technical with all of this junk.

Flipping switches and plugging some wires, Sarah works fast to try and figure out if this is what she hopes it is. Eventually, she hears some sounds, like something is coming on. She then pulls a big lever down and now things begin coming on in the lab. Grace and Colt notice this and run to her.

"Sarah, did you get the power on?" Grace asks.

"What did you do?" Colt asks.

"I, um, just pressed a lot of buttons and switches until it came on," Sarah replies sheepishly.

"That's all?" Colt deadpans at her.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it," Sarah replies.

"Well, whatever. Let's just see what's still working and see if we can find anything useful," Colt says.

They begin checking out any of the terminals that seem to be on (and that weren't in a hundred pieces). Grace comes onto one computer, and hitting some buttons, ends up with nothing but a huge sigh of defeat. Colt checks out a few others, but it looks like they had all of their data wiped. Colt moves onto another computer, but though the power is working, it wouldn't turn on.

"Must be a wiring issue. Of course, there would have to be wires for that to be the reason, and over half of the wires here are fried," Colt mutters.

Sarah moves to another corner of the lab, walking into the spot where she believes the Geno Ritter was in her dream. She looks back to where she saw those scientists from her dream, eventually finding another terminal up top near where they were. Looking around, she sees a walkway fallen halfway down from where it used to be, but at an angle where she could climb it. Taking her time, Sarah slowly climbs up the walkway, using anything she can grab on to help her get up. Once she reaches the upper level, Sarah heads to the lone terminal and starts looking around. Her eyes sparkle a bit when she finds one data file on the terminal, and it seems to be intact.

"What do we have here?" Sarah mutters, pulling up several schematics of a few zoids, some she recognizes instantly, including her Geno Ritter and the Geno Scissors they fought against once before. However, when she pulls up a little information regarding the Z-link system, she gets really interested. "There you are. Let's see, 'Z-link system installation to Geno Ritter complete. Process for suitable pilot ongoing. Progress... unsatisfactory. Subject zoid yet untamed and uncooperative. Reconditioning procedure duration... ten weeks.' Geno, what did they do to you?" Sarah mutters solemnly as she keeps reading. "First phase for Operation: Decomposition, complete. Phase two now in operation. Error: phase two at stand down due to Geno Ritter's lack of progress. Considering termination in favor of second project.' What does any of this mean. 'Z-link system necessary component... sufficient compatibility between pilot and zoid. Key factor to heighten compatibility... unknown. End file," Sarah finishes reading the file.

"Hey Sarah, you find anything?" Grace asks as she manages to climb up to meet her.

"I think so. I... don't know how useful it would be though," Sarah replies.

Grace, and then Colt, join her and read the file, their own thoughts on what data has revealed.

"What do you think this 'Operation: Decomposition' is about? It doesn't sound good to me," Grace notes.

"I'm more concerned about what this 'second project' could be," Colt notes.

"It said that they were thinking about... killing Geno because he wouldn't obey them. So why didn't they?" Sarah wonders, but then looks back across the lab and takes a second look at the mess. Now that some of the lights are on and she can get a better look, she notices something. The room wasn't just abandoned; it was destroyed. And it wasn't natural. "I think... that Geno must've realized they were going to kill him," she says.

"And so, he decided it was time to leave, but not without saying a loud goodbye to whoever was here before," Colt finishes.

"Damn, no wonder he doesn't like this place," Grace adds.

"I think we got all we could from here. We'll have to take some notes and head back up. I'm sure that Geno is getting anxious since we've been gone for a while now," Sarah says.

"What makes you say that?" Grace asks, only for some loud rumbling and shaking to occur for a few seconds. "Um..."

"That is what I'm talking about. Let's get going," Sarah says.

After retrieving what they could, the team heads back up top and find the Geno Ritter pacing around, eyes everywhere like it's expecting an attack or something. When it notices Sarah, the Geno Ritter quickly moves to her. Sarah is happy to see her partner again and pets its nose, earning a purr from the zoid. The group leave the building and reconvene outside. Meanwhile, Sarah is having another talk with the Geno Ritter in its cockpit.

"I'm sorry about bringing you here, Geno. I now know why you hate this place. But listen, whatever happened in the past is in the past. You don't have to worry anymore about that stuff," Sarah tries to soothe it, earning a low growl from the Geno Ritter. "Listen, Geno, I don't know what exactly happened to you in the past, but you can trust me. The Z-link system; it's supposed to connect both of our minds as one. To help us fight together. Don't try to shut me out. Let me share in your pain. You're my partner, but more importantly, you're my best friend. We need to trust each other and work together, truly work together, if we're going to survive, and win. I don't want to lose you, Geno. So please, don't keep me at arms-length. Let me in. You can trust me... because I know I can trust you," Sarah says. The Geno Ritter remains silent for a moment before the Z-link system activates again and connects with Sarah. Sarah is spooked for a moment, but then she feels it. No pain, no anger, no walls between them. Just a strong warmth coming from the Geno Ritter. It was only for a few seconds before the system deactivated and returned to normal, only this time Sarah doesn't feel any pain. "...Thanks, Geno," Sarah mutters.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah and her team learn more about the Geno Ritter's past, but now they only have more questions than when they started. Sarah and Geno seem to be getting on the same page now, but will that be enough for what awaits them? What is this 'Operation: Decomposition" and what does it entail? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	18. Chapter 18: The King?

**Here we are at Chapter 18. Let's continue with Team Lockhart's journey to uncover the Geno Ritter's past. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 18. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: The King?**

After finishing things up at the abandoned facility, the members of Team Lockhart call in Stoller to come and pick them up. Soon enough, the Whale King shows up and they board the ship. Of course, they don't get much of a break when they get a message from the ZBC with details about their next zoid battle. They may be unofficial members of the ZBC, and on a secret mission, but they're still a zoid battle team and if they remain out of the radar of the zoid battles for too long, it would start to raise questions, which is something they don't need right now.

"So, where's our next battle? Does the message say anything about that or who it is we're facing?" Grace asks.

The team are in the hangar, standing by their zoids.

"Hmm, it says that the next battle will take place in two days near Baron City, and our opponent is... the Champ team?" Sarah replies, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Colt starts laughing a bit, "Hahaha, you mean we have to fight those morons. This shouldn't be too hard?" he notes.

"I've heard a little about them. They used to be in class B, but after losing a match to the Blitz Team, and other matches to them, they got bumped own to class C. However, they were a wild card team that was allowed to participate in the Royal Cup a while back. Of course, they didn't last too long. Sounds like this shouldn't be too hard," Grace says.

"Yeah, besides, we need to get back into a new winning streak. The battle royal loss and the issues with the Neo BDG have really dampened my mellow. This will be a good stepping stone to getting back into the swing of things," Colt adds.

"So, what kind of zoids do they use again?" Grace asks.

"Well, with Harry Champ's rich family, he has loads of cash, so he has several different zoids at his disposal. They mainly seem to use either a trio of Iron Kong PKs or a modified Dark Horn, Stealth Viper, and a Heldigunner. Either way, they won't be that easy to beat. They have managed to get back into class B after all. What do you guys think?" Sarah asks.

"Well, we'll leave their leader to you. If they're using the modified zoids, then I'll take Stealth Viper. My Bravejaguar has greater speed and agility than that thing. Grace, you can handle the Heldigunner, no problem," Colt says.

"What if they use those Iron Kong PKs?" Grace asks.

"Then we'll have to keep moving. Even normal Iron Kongs have greater raw power than our zoids, aside from the Geno Ritter. However, they're also slow and don't have that great of mobility. Keep out of their sights, hit their weak points, and take them down, one-by-one," Colt comes up with a strategy.

"Alright then, guess we'll have to wait and see. Right, Geno?" Sarah calls out to her partner.

The Geno Ritter roars in agreement.

...

Soon enough, they reach Baron City within the evening thanks to Stoller giving them a ride. The team leave the Whale King with their zoids and their Gustavs. A few minutes later, Sarah has a talk with Stoller.

"Thanks for the lift and for helping us out again," Sarah thanks him as she gives a polite bow to him.

"It's no trouble. I hope you were able to find what you were looking for," Stoller says.

"Sort of. But now, I only have more questions," Sarah replies.

"Then hopefully you will be able to find the answers to those questions in the near future. But for now, don't focus on them. Just focus on your upcoming battle. If you're mind wanders to other places it doesn't need to, you'll lose focus and that will cost you dearly," Stoller gives her some advice.

"I see. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again for your help," Sarah says.

Stoller nods to her, "Good luck in your battle. One day when you're strong enough, let's you and I go a round or two in a zoid battle," Stoller says.

Sarah smirks, "Now that sounds like a great idea," she says.

Stoller then returns to the Whale King and Sarah watches it take off into the skies. After that, the team head into town to station their zoids at the local zoids institute. After that, they decide to get something to eat and continue to go over their plan for the next battle.

"So, does it look like our opponents are using those modified zoids?" Sarah asks while eating a burger.

"It seems that way. Which suits us just fine. Just remember, they're zoids are modified like ours, so their performance will be higher than the normal versions of their zoids. Also, while these Champ Team guys don't seem that bright, they're not complete fools. They have won plenty of zoid battles in the past. Also, from what I've gathered, the leader, Harry Champ, seems to have some kind of sense of good luck with him, if you believe that sort of thing," Colt explains.

"Sounds good to me," Grace notes, drinking a soda.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," they hear and look up to see a man wearing some weird-looking, but also expensive-looking clothes, followed by two robots by his side. "Because we're going to be the victors of this battle!' the man cheers.

"Um, who are you guys?" Sarah asks.

"My name's Harry Champ. I'm a man destined to be king," Harry introduces himself in his own... unique way.

"A... king?" Grace asks, confused.

"Don't worry about that. Just know that tomorrow, you'll lose to our superior zoid piloting skills," the smaller robot on the right of Harry says.

"Sebastian! Stop stealing my lines!" Harry yells.

"Um, what now?" Sarah wonders.

"Don't worry about them. We just wanted to say hello and hope you give us your best in the zoid battle," the taller robot says.

"Benjamin, don't go making friends with the enemy," Harry tells him. The members of Team Lockhart watch on with weirded out looks on their faces. Harry eventually calms down and refocuses back on his opponents. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that we're going to win in our match. After all, I have a rival that I need to catch up to and beat in order to get my girl back," he says.

"Say... what now?" Colt asks.

"That stupid Bit Cloud. As long as they're in class S, I can't get anywhere near them, which means I can't see my beautiful Leena right now. Oh, I wonder if she's thinking about me right now," Harry says as he turns his back to them and starts muttering to himself.

However, the group can still hear him.

 _"Is there something wrong with this guy?"_ Sarah wonders.

 _"No wonder this guy never made it to class A,"_ Grace mentally notes.

"Um, Harry, they're staring at us," Benjamin says.

Harry comes back to reality, "But, I'm a merciful king, so I won't beat you too badly," Harry says.

"If that's the case, then how about we sweeten the deal?" Colt says.

"Meaning?" Harry asks.

"Two times the normal amount of prize money to the victor. Sound fair?" Colt says.

"Hmm, very well then. I accept your challenge. I guess we'll see you guys on the battlefield. Just don't come crying to us when we win," Harry says and then leaves with his robots.

"...Is he really a zoid warrior?" Grace asks.

"I guess zoid warriors come in all kinds of ways... Including the stupid ones," Colt adds.

"It doesn't matter. We're still going to win," Sarah declares.

"And get all that sweet prize money," Grace adds.

…

Soon enough, the time for the battle between the Champ Team and the Lockhart Team arrives and the two teams are already out in the desert, waiting for the judge to start the battle. As they suspected, the Champ Team is using their modified zoids instead of their Iron Kong PKs.

"They certainly like to deck out their zoids. I thought ours were modified pretty well," Grace says.

"Must've costed them a big penny though. Like I said, Harry's got a lot of money to throw around," Colt says.

Soon enough, the judge arrives and the capsule opens up for him.

"Scanning... Scanning... This area is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personal must vacate the area immediately. The Champ Team vs the Lockhart Team. Battle mode 0-9-9-2. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready... Fight!" the judge sounds off and the gong is rung.

The two teams charge at each other and spread out to face their respective opponents. In the center of the battlefield, Sarah and her Geno Ritter go up against Harry and his Dark Horn custom.

"Well, I must admit, that zoid of yours looks pretty strong. But I wonder how you came up with the cash to get it," Harry notes.

"Who needs cash when you've got luck, and a loyal partner by your side. Let's get him, Geno," Sarah says.

The Geno Ritter roars and engages its thrusters before charging at the Dark Horn. The Dark Horn fires off its gatling gun, but the Geno Ritter soars around the bullets and engages its blade as it gets close. It swings its right blade at it, but suddenly, the Dark Horn activates some thrusters on its left side and zooms to the side, evading the attack.

"What the-!" Sarah yells.

"Ha-ha, surprised ya, huh. This is no ordinary Dark Horn. Despite its size and payload, it's got great maneuvering capabilities thanks to the high-capacity thruster unit. You won't get me that easy. Now, it's my turn!" Harry says.

The Darj Horn starts firing off both its gatling gun and its heavy cannon at the Geno Ritter. The Geno Ritter begins flying over the sand to evade the shots, while the Dark Horn gives chase.

"Argh, guess he's not as stupid as he looks. Let's move, Geno," Sarah mutters.

Meanwhile, Colt dukes it out with Benjamin. The Stealth Viper fires off its guns at the Bravejaguar, but the zoid easily maneuvers around the shots.

"Hah, you'll have to do better than that," Colt taunts him.

"Ooooh, I'll get you!" Benjamin gets mad.

He has his Stealth Viper give chase, but the Bravejaguar is faster and has greater mobility, and runs circles around it. The Stealth Viper turns around, only to get a couple of laser shots to the main body from the Bravejaguar's twin beam cannons. It then races around its opponent and goes for the large cannon on the end of its tail.

"You don't need this," Colt notes and blasts it off.

"Argh!" Benjamin growls as his cockpit shakes a bit.

"This is actually getting fun. Ha-ha-ha!" Colt laughs.

On the other side of the battle field, Sebastian fires off his cannons at Grace's Spinosapper. The Spinosapper uses its chainsaws to block the shots and retaliates with some shots of its own from its gatling guns. The Heldigunner takes the hits due to its slow speed, and then the Spinosapper goes in with its chainsaws out.

"Oh, no you don't," Sebastian mutters.

The Heldigunner fires off its guns at the ground in front of the Spinosapper, blowing up smoke and stopping its attack. When the dust settles, Grace sees Sebastian running for it.

"What? Get back here so I can rip you apart, you pathetic excuse for a walking trash can!" Grace yells as she gives chase.

"Oh my, with a mouth like that, I doubt you can really call yourself a lady," Sebastian notes.

"What was that?!" Grace shouts and fires off her missile launchers.

Some of the missiles hit their target, staggering the Heldigunner. This gives Grace the chance to catch up and clamp the Spinosapper's jaws onto its tail. She then has he zoid swing the Heldigunner up into the air and then slamming it onto the ground, destroying its main guns. The Spinosapper the stomps one of its feet onto the Heldigunner's upturned stomach.

"Um, would you forgive me if I apologize for my earlier comment?" Sebastian pleads.

"Not on your life!" Grace yells and has her Spinosapper slice the Heldigunner to pieces while avoiding the cockpit. "That's why you never insult a lady," she mutters, waving a hand through her hair.

Back with Colt, he continues to run his Bravejaguar around Benjamin's Stealth Viper. Benjamin fires his guns at Colt, but each shot only hits sand.

"Just stand still so I can blast you!" Benjamin yells.

"Waahh, waahh, waahh, you want some cheese with that wine?' Colt taunts him, laughing.

"Shut up!" Benjamin shouts.

The Bravejaguar swings around and charges back at the Stealth Viper. The Stealth Viper fires off its guns again, but the Bravejaguar swerves around each shot. The Viper goes in to try and bite its opponent with its fangs, but the Bravejaguar starts glowing and then jumps into the air over it.

"What the-," Benjamin begins.

"Strike Laser Claw!" Colt yells.

The Bravejaguar slices through the Stealth Viper behind the head and main section of the body, separating it from the rest of the body. The head falls onto the ground and the Bravejaguar lands behind it, roaring into the skies in victory.

"Ah, another one bites the dust," Colt notes, wiping the non-existent dust off his shoulders.

With the leaders of the two teams, the Geno Ritter fires its laser guns behind it at te Dark Horn, getting a few hits in. However, they don't stop the zoid, merely slowing it down and giving Sarah the chance to get some distance between them.

"Man, this guy is tougher than I thought. I got to find a way to get close and tear him apart, but each time I do, he uses that thruster unit of his to evade my attack. Being able to slide right or left, even with all of that weight... Wait, right or left..." Sarah mutters as she starts to get an idea.

"Come back here, you. Just admit defeat now and I won't trash your zoid," Harry says.

"But, what about my teammates? They've taken care of your robot buddies. What are you going to do about them?" Sarah asks.

"I'll deal with them after I've defeated you. I need to win and get into class A, and then get into class S so I can find the Blitz Team and find my Leena!" Harry says, getting all dramatic now.

"There's seriously something wrong with this guy. Oh well, time to get this over with," Sarah mentally notes.

The Geno Ritter turns around and charges back towards the Dark Horn with its blades out to its sides.

"That move won't work on me. You sure are a slow learner," Harry says.

When they get close, the Dark Horn uses its thruster unit to evade to the left, avoiding the Geno Ritter's charge. However, in slow motion, Harry sees the Geno Ritter's left laser gun aimed at him and it fires. In normal motion, the shot its true on the Dark Horn's side, staggering it a bit. The Geno Ritter comes back around and attacks again. The Dark Horn fires off its gatling gun, but the Geno Ritter fires off its laser guns, taking out the gatling gun. The Dark Horn then fires off its heavy cannon, getting a couple of hits in on the Geno Ritter. When it gets close, the Dark Horn uses its thruster unit to move to the Geno's right side. However, this time, the Geno Ritter stabs its right blade into the ground, swinging its body around to go right after the Dark Horn. Unable to escape the surprise attack, the Dark Horn can't evade the next attack by the Geno Ritter, losing its left set of legs, causing it to fall to the ground because of the Geno's blades.

"Arrgh!" I'm not done yet!" Harry yells as he tries to turn the heavy cannon towards Sarah's zoid.

The Geno Ritter, however, slams its foot down on the cannon, halting it in place, and readies its blades around the Dark Horn's neck.

"Too bad all that money can't buy you skill," Sarah notes.

"Why you!" Harry yells.

The bell then tolls, "Battle is over. Battle is over. The winner is... the Lockhart Team," the judge declares.

Sarah sighs, "Another battle won," she notes.

"Leena!" Harry cries.

"Oh, give me a break," Sarah mutters in annoyance, which her partner mirrors by shaking its head.

…

Back in Baron City, the team get their zoids taken care of with any repairs they need while at the institute. They would be leaving the next day to continue on their journey. However, they decide to have a little celebration for their victory. After all, they did win a lot of prize money from Harry.

"Here's to another victory for Team Lockhart. Cheers!" Colt says, raising a drink in the air.

"Cheers!" Grace and Sarah raise their drinks to his and then take a sip.

"That victory over the Champ Team is sure to get us back in some people's crosshairs. We seriously needed this," Colt says.

"Yeah..." Sarah mutters, holding her glass.

"Sarah? Is everything okay?" Grace asks.

"Yeah, it's just... With everything that's been going on, I almost forgot how it felt to just have a good zoid battle like before. It reminded me of my dream to one day battle against Bit Cloud and the Blitz Team. That was why I became a zoid warrior in the first place. It was nice... to just do something normal for a change," Sarah says.

Her words make the other two smile, "Well, normal for a zoid warrior anyway," Colt says.

"Yeah, with all the stuff going on with the ZBC, the NBG, and Geno's past, it's a wonder we were able to find time to have a regular zoid battle where our lives weren't on the line. I missed this. It reminds me of when you and I first met," Grace says.

"Hey, what about me?" Colt asks.

"Don't care much about you, you peeping tom," Grace waves him off.

Colt hangs his head, "Still won't let me live that down, huh," he mutters.

Sarah laughs a bit, "Well, either way, I'm glad I still get to fight alongside you guys, and with Geno. So again, thanks you guys," Sarah says.

"Hey, we're a team. Wherever we go, we go together," Grace says.

"Don't forget about me. Things have been pretty exciting since you guys showed up. I'm not missing a thing," Colt adds.

The group enjoy the rest of their meal, happy to have this moment together.

…

"This cannot be allowed to continue. You are to deal with Team Lockhart, and this time... you either complete the mission, or don't come back at all," one man says.

"Understood... The hunt... will end this time," another says.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Team Lockhart defeat the Champ Team, and regain their spirits a bit. However, how long will these good times last? Sarah's journey continues with Geno Ritter, but soon things may change. Will they be for the better, or for the worse? Until then, please Read and Review.**

 **P.S. That one line "too bad all that money can't buy you skill"; I got that from RWBY. I couldn't resist using it for that scene. It was perfect.**


	19. Chapter 19: The Second Project

**Here we are at Chapter 19. Time for a few surprises in this chapter. Whether or not they'll be good or bad; we'll have to wait and see. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 19. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: The Second Project**

"So, any news from the ZBC?" Grace asks.

Right now, Team Lockhart is on their way to the next town for their upcoming zoid battle, though that's not supposed to happen for several days. They thought it would be a good idea to get there early to scope out the area and get some training in with their zoids before the big battle. However, they also haven't forgotten their main mission with the Zoids Battle Commission.

"Nothing so far. Their last contact informed me that they were figuring out a new strategy for facing off against that Geno Scissors. They're also looking into Stoller's theory about these guys just pretending to be a new version of the Backdraft Group and are looking for any organizations in their records that could fit the bill. We may not hear anything for a little while," Colt replies, driving his Gustav.

"Hmm, it sucks not knowing anything. Makes me feel a little on edge, really," Grace says.

"Well, there's no use in jumping in blindly without a plan. We don't know where these guys come from, and we may still be on their radar. We have to wait until the ZBC gets some more info. For now, let's just focus on getting to the next town and preparing for our next zoid battle," Sarah says.

"I guess you have a point there. So, who are facing this time? Grace asks.

"They call themselves the Steel Fang Team. From what I've been able to get on these guys is that they're an up-and-coming team in class B like us. Their leader uses a modified Dark Spiner while two other members of the team use Rev Raptors and the final member uses a Redler type zoid equipped with a pair of laser cannons on the back. This makes them very versatile from what the data says. The Dark Spiner's sail can release electrical attacks that can mess with a zoid's systems, giving it the chance to go in for the kill. They sound pretty tough," Sarah says.

"Tougher than the Champ Team?" Colt asks.

"I'd say they're about even in that regard, but unlike Harry Champ, these guys don't appear to be stupid. We'll need to keep our guard up. Especially since the battle mode is set to 0-9-9-0, which means that they'll be able to use all four of their members with no restrictions on arsenals, while we only have out three," Sarah explains.

"Eh, doesn't make that much of a difference. We'll still kick their butts anyway. Once we get enough wins, we'll be moving on to class A, where the top teams, and more prize money, await us," Grace says.

"Well, for now, let's just focus on getting to the next town and getting some training in. The more prepared we are, the better our chances. Right, Geno?" Sarah calls out.

The Geno Ritter roars in response. Later in the day, the group make it to their destination: Lombinax City. One of the larger cities on the continent, it's well known for having an outstanding zoids institute. After making it to said institute, the team members make sure their zoids are secure (and that Geno doesn't eat anybody) before finding the local inn and checking in. The group head to one of their rooms, but Colt gets kicked out of the first room.

"We said two rooms. You get the second one, peeping tom," Grace tells him before heading inside and slamming the door in his face.

Colt sighs and hangs his head, "Ugh, when will I ever catch a break?" he mutters.

…

The next day, the group head out in their zoids to explore the area. The environment around Lombinax City has a somewhat mountainous terrain, giving zoids on the ground a bit of a disadvantage when compared to flying-type zoids.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that these mountains will be perfect for the opposing team's Redler zoid," Grace says.

"Yeah, but it'll give their ground zoids just as a hard of a time as us," Colt replies.

"Maybe, but I remember finding Geno in a mountain area, so he's somewhat experienced in this kind of terrain. He shouldn't have that much trouble, right partner?" Sarah asks, and the Geno Ritter roars in reply, making Sarah smile. "That's exactly what I was thinking," she says.

The group head deeper into the mountains, looking for any spots that could be used against them in the upcoming battle, or that they could use against their opponents. They find some corners around some mountain sides that could be used for ambushes, and the mountain sides can be steep on some parts, making climbing them more difficult. There aren't any caves around, so everything will pretty much be out in the open. After looking around for a while longer, the group decide to stop at one point and take a break. Climbing out of their zoids and setting up camp for the evening (they brought it with them since they thought it would be a good idea to camp out there and still be not too far from the city), the group laze about. Grace and Colt help themselves to some drinks while Sarah is scene petting the Geno Ritter's nose, earning a purr in response.

"So, we camp out here for the night and do some more exploring tomorrow, along with some training, and then head back to town later that evening. Seems like a good idea to me," Grace notes, eating a granola bar.

"Well, unless ghosts decide to come out and attack us while we sleep," Colt jokes.

"Oh, please, don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts," Grace says, giving him a deadpan look.

"Nah, but I was hoping you were so I could try scaring you a bit. Heh-heh-heh," Colt chuckles.

"What are you, in the third grade? Get real. I've seen things back home that are scarier than you," Grace retorts.

Colt glances back to Sarah, seeing her still petting the Geno Ritter.

"Well, what about Sarah? Is she afraid of ghosts?" Colt asks.

"Pfft, I doubt it. She's cheated Death a few times by now. I highly doubt she's afraid of ghosts," Grace replies.

"Hmm, well I guess you have a point. Oh, well, another time I suppose," Colt says.

The sun sets lower in the skies as night begins to take hold. The group have a fire going and prepare to head in for the night. The group sleep and drift off into the realm of dreams, but Sarah in particular is having a strange dream of her own. Sarah looks all around her, seeing fires burning all around her. The fire shifts and she can see scores of zoids around her, all destroyed and reduced to pieces. Next, the fires shift again, and now a huge, dark form rises from the ashes, dwarfing Sarah immensely. Its burning red eyes glares down at her as it opens its jaws, full of sharp teeth. Sarah tries to scream, but finds her voice gone, and she can only look up as the dark form raises its left foot up to come crashing down on her.

Sarah awakes with a fright in Geno's cockpit, showing a cold sweat and trembling hands.

"What... what was that?" Sarah mutters, and takes a few deep breaths to regain herself. "Calm down, Sarah. It was just a nightmare. It doesn't mean anything... I hope," she mutters to herself.

However, she has no time to dwell on this as a sudden explosion comes out hear the camp site.

"What the Hell?!" Sarah exclaims.

Grace and Colt leave their tents, just in time for another explosion to hit near their camp.

"Oh, now what?!" Grace yells.

"Quick, get to the zoids!" Colt yells back and they make a break for it.

"Guys, I'll cover you!" Sarah yells as she commands the Geno Ritter to stand up, ready for battle.

The smoke starts to settle, only for a squad of dark colored Command Wolves to come charging in.

"Oh no, it's the NBG!" Sarah yells.

The Geno Ritter roars at its enemies as they charge at it. The wolves fire off their laser cannons, forcing the Geno Ritter to use its blades to block the assault.

"Sarah, get moving! We're in our zoids now!" Grace calls over the comms as the Spinosapper and the Bravejaguar activate.

"Roger that!" Sarah replies.

The Geno Ritter engages its thrusters and rushes at the Command Wolves. The Command Wolves separate the group in half, expertly dodging the Geno Ritter's blades. However, as they turn around to attack its unguarded rear, one Command Wolf gets taken out by the twin laser guns of the Bravejaguar, and another gets destroyed by the Spinosapper's missile launchers.

"Don't forget about us. This battle won't be like last time," Grace retorts.

The Geno Ritter comes back around and fires off his laser guns, only for the wolves to dodge its attacks. The Spinosapper and the Bravejaguar make their own moves and charge at the wolves, but the group separates into three this time, with two going after the Geno Ritter while the other two deal with the Spinosapper and the Bravejaguar. The Command Wolves going after the Geno Ritter attack it on its sides, but the Geno Ritter jumps into the air to try and crash down on one of them, only for said Command Wolf to jump out of the way at the last second. The wolves fire off their laser cannons, and the Geno Ritter takes a few hits. However, the Geno Ritter launches its left claw to grapple onto one of the legs of one wolf and pulls it in close enough to slice it into three with its blades. The other wolf makes a run for it deeper into the mountains.

"Hey, you're not going anywhere!" Sarah yells and the Geno Ritter goes after it.

Meanwhile, Colt and Grace deal with their own opponents. The Spinosapper tries to slice its enemy in two with its chainsaws, only for the Command Wolf to dodge its attacks each time and get a few shots out on it. With Colt, the Bravejaguar and the second Command Wolf race around each other, trying to get a shot in that keeps missing. At one point, the Bravejaguar stops and swings its tail around, only for the Command Wolf to catch it in its jaws and pull it around.

"Hands off my partner!" Colt yells.

He has the Bravejaguar jump up and over the Command Wolf, pulling it along onto just its hind legs while the Bravejaguar lands right behind it. He fires off its twin laser guns at its back, forcing the wolf to let go, and then goes in for the kill as he jumps on it and clamps its teeth down on the wolf's neck, biting the head and the cockpit off of the zoid's main body.

"Whew, that's one down. Now to help Grace," Colt says.

Grace jumps back when the Command Wolf she's fighting tries to blast her away with its laser cannons. The Spinosapper fires off its machineguns, only for the wolf to run around the shots.

"Damn it!" Grace curses.

"Grace, I got your back!" Colt yells through the comms.

He comes up behind the Command Wolf and crashes into its flank. The surprise attack staggers it, giving Grace the chance to charge in and knock it to the ground, followed by slicing it to pieces with the Spinosapper's chainsaws.

Grace sighs in relief, "Glad that's done... Wait, where's Sarah?" Grace asks, back to being worried.

"She went after that last Command Wolf. Let's find her," Colt says and they go to find their leader.

Speaking of said leader, Sarah and her Geno Ritter chase the Command Wolf through the mountains, firing off its laser guns at the retreating zoid. The Command Wolf evades the attack until they come up to a large clearing within mountain range. Just then, a new set of explosions ring out, stopping the Geno Ritter's advance. When the dust settles, Sarah finds that it's not the last Command Wolf standing before them, but the Geno Scissors from before.

"You," Sarah growls, along with the Geno Ritter.

"No mercy... this time... The hunt ends... now," the Geno Scissor's pilot says, while his zoid roars in challenge to the Geno Ritter.

"Grrgh, this won't be like last time. Let's go, Geno!" Sarah says, and the Geno Ritter roars with her.

The two zoids charge at each other, firing off their laser weaponry all-the-while. Their ranged attacks hit nothing but dirt and rocks and soon enough, the two zoids crash into each other, skulls first. They push against one another, with neither gaining ground. The Geno Scissors tries to attack with its blades, but the Geno Ritter counters with its own, and they are locked in a stalemate once more. The Geno Scissors aims its laser cannons and prepares to fire, forcing the Geno Ritter to jump back before it gets blasted. The Geno Scissors fires off its laser cannons, but the Geno Ritter flies across the ground as it dodges the assault. The Geno Ritter comes back around to launch another attack at the Geno Scissors, firing off its laser guns, but the Geno Scissors uses its shields to block the attack. The Geno Ritter gets close and spins around to swing its tail, but the Geno Scissors catches the tail in its claws. It then releases an electrical attack like before, shocking both the Geno Ritter and Sarah.

"Arrgh! Not this again!" Sarah grits her teeth through the pain.

The Geno Ritter swivels one of its laser guns around and manages to get off a shot on the Geno Scissors' claw to release it. The Geno Scissors roars and attacks with its blades, but the Geno Ritter spins around as it swings it blades to knock the Geno Scissors back. The two zoids charge again, with the Geno Ritter attempting to stab its head blade into the Geno Scissors' body. The Geno Scissors blocks with its left shield and then smacks the Geno Ritter away before firing off a few more shots with its laser cannons. The Geno Ritter takes a few hits before jumping back, landing a short distance away from its opponent.

"We can't win like this. Come on, Geno. I know you and I can do it. So, let's do it... Together," Sarah pleads.

The Geno Ritter hears her and engages the Z-Link system, connecting their minds together. The Geno Ritter's eyes glow brighter and it roars into the skies before charging at its opponent. The Geno Ritter quickly comes up on the Geno Scissors and smacks its head into its enemies, knocking it back. It then swings its right blade around, only for the Geno Scissors to block it with its left blade. The Geno Scissors launches one of its claws, but the Geno Ritter catches it and pulls the Geno Scissors in for a tail swipe that knocks it back again. It then fires off its laser guns and gets a few hits in.

"Yes, that's it, Geno. You can't win against us when we work together like this," Sarah says.

"Not done yet... Time to end this... Engage... Z-Link system," the male pilot says.

Sarah gasps as the Geno Scissors fuses its mind with its pilot and it roars into the sky as its eyes glow brighter.

"It... It can't be. You have a Z-Link system too," Sarah mutters, but then remembers something about the data she found at the old laboratory. "There was something about a second project... It was the Geno Scissors," she realizes.

"I told you... the hunt ends... now," the pilot says.

The Geno Scissors fires off its laser cannons at the ground in front of the Geno Ritter, blowing up smoke and blinding it. A second later, the Geno Scissors breaks through the smoke in front of it and smashes its head against the Geno Ritter's. Sarah feels the impact, but greater this time due to the Z-Link system. The Geno Ritter swings its blades around, but the Geno Scissors jumps over the attack and kicks the Geno Ritter onto the ground, landing on top of it. The Geno Scissors goes in for the kill, but the Geno Ritter engages its thrusters and manages to shake the Geno Scissors off before getting back on its feet. The Geno Scissors doesn't give it time to recover when its comes in fast and stabs its right blade into the Geno Ritter's right side.

"Arrgh!" Sarah yells as she starts to feel the blade like it stabbed her body and not the Geno Ritter's.

The Geno Ritter breaks free and swings its blades around again, but the Geno Scissors deflects the attack and manages to slice the right blade off with its own.

"Geno, no!" Sarah yells.

The Geno Ritter fires its remaining laser gun, but the Geno Scissors blocks the attack with its shield. However, when it moves it shield out of the way, it gets a surprise when the Geno Ritter comes rushing in and manages to to slice its head blade across the right side of the Geno Scissors' face, taking out its right eye. The Geno Scissors roars and clamps its jaws onto the neck of the Geno Ritter before grabbing it with its claws and shocking the pair again. After shocking them for a few seconds, the Geno Scissors tosses them aside.

"Come on, Geno. We can still do this. We can't give up now!" Sarah says, her breathing getting heavier.

The two zoids size each other up, and then both of them engage their foot clamps and prepare to fire off their charged particle cannons. A few seconds later, the two fire off their strongest weapons, which collide with each other, sending out a massive shockwave. The two attacks are fairly even, however, the Geno Scissors starts firing off its laser cannons at the same time, with each shot further damaging the Geno Ritter. Also, with each shot, the Geno Ritter's attack begins to weaken and the Geno Scissors' attack gets closer.

"Come on, Geno. We can still do-AHH!" Sarah yells as another hit nails her partner. She looks up, only for the main screen to show 'Cockpit Ejection Engaged'. "Ejection?... No, no, no, Geno. You can't! Don't give up on me now! Please, GENO!" Sarah shouts.

However, the deed is already done as the Geno Ritter forcibly ejects Sarah from the cockpit to safety. She lands on the ground and looks up, just in time to see the Geno Scissors' charged particle attack collide with the Geno Ritter in a bright white light along with a fiery explosion.

"GENO!" Sarah shouts in horror before the blowback from the blast knocks her back to the ground.

She lays on the ground, having only enough strength to look up as the Geno Scissors stands over her.

"I told you... It's over..." the pilot says.

"Who... are... you?" Sarah mutters, loud enough for him to hear.

"Call me... Hunter...Your end..." Hunter says as the Geno Scissors aims its laser cannons at her.

Sarah waits for the attack, only for the the Geno Scissors to get hit by a few surprise blasts.

"Sarah, we're here to help!" she hears the voice of Grace.

The Spinosapper and the Bravejaguar charge at them, firing off their weapons at the Geno Scissors.

"No matter... The mission... is complete," Hunter says.

The Geno Scissors roars before it retreats into the night. The last thing Sarah sees before she passes out is the Bravejaguar and the Spinosapper walking up to her.

"Geno..." Sarah mutters before she passes out completely.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. A bit of a cliffhanger there. The NBG launch another surprise attack on Team Lockhart, and the Geno Scissors reveals itself to have a Z-Link system just like the Geno Ritter, being the second project mentioned from before. Who exactly are the NBG and what are they after? Is the Geno Ritter alright? Will Sarah and her friends be able to bounce back from this? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	20. Chapter 20: Missing the Heart

**Here we are at Chapter 20. Time to see whether or not the Geno Ritter survived its encounter with the Geno Scissors, and if Sarah and Team Lockhart will be ready for their next zoid battle. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 20. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Missing the Heart**

"Geno...," Sarah mutters in her sleep.

Meanwhile, Grace and Colt watch over her as she sleeps in her bed, bandages wrapped around her skull.

"What are we going to do when she wakes up? She's going to be so heartbroken," Grace laments.

"I don't know. The NBG just had to hit us at the worst possible time. Our next zoid battle is in a few days, but we can't fight like this," Colt says, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

Just then, Roderick Smith enters the room, "Any changes?" he asks.

"Nothing yet. She'll probably wake up soon, though," Grace says.

Roderick sighs, "This was unexpected. We had teams in place, but they were too far away to act in time. This attack will set us back a bit," Roderick says.

Just then, Sarah starts to shift in her sleep and moan as her eyes slowly open up.

"Ergh... Grace?" Sarah mutters.

Grace is immediately by her side, "Hey there, Sarah. How are you feeling?" she asks softly.

"I feel... ugh, like a mess," Sarah replies.

"Well, better to feel something than nothing at all," Colt says, trying to lighten the modd.

"Sarah Lockhart. Good to see you're awake," Roderick adds.

"Mr. Smith. What are you doing here?" Sarah asks.

"He helped us bring you back to Lombinax City. We're back at the inn, and our zoids are back at the institute. You were asleep for quite a while," Colt says.

At the mention of zoids, Sarah recalls the events of the night before, and only one thing is on her mind. Her partner.

"Guys... Where's Geno?" she asks. The others look at each other, unsure of what to do. "Guys, what's wrong? Is Geno okay?" she asks more fervently this time.

"Sarah, maybe you should get some more rest for now," Grace tries to coax her.

"No, Grace! Tell me what happened to Geno. Please!" Sarah all but begs.

The group look at her with sympathy before finally giving in to her demands. After making sure she has the strength to stand up and walk, they take her to the zoids institute. More ZBC personal are there, having quartered off a section of the institute for their zoids and Team Lockhart's zoids. Getting past all the people walking around, they reach their zoids. The Spinosapper and Bravejaguar are still undergoing repairs, but with the progress they've made so far, they should be ready before their next zoid battle. However, Sarah only focuses on one zoid in particular, or rather... what's left of it.

"Geno..." Sarah gasps in horror at the scene before her.

The Geno Ritter lays on its side, its weapons and sub-arms destroyed. It's missing its right arm, and part of its left leg is heavily damaged. Damage and burn marks are all across the zoid's body, but the worst part of it is the large hole in scene on the Geno Ritter's chest. Its mouth lay open, like in a silent last cry before its life left it. Sarah slowly walks up to her fallen partner, with each step feeling heavier than the last. Mere seconds feel like days to Sarah before she finally gets close enough to place her hand on the Geno Ritter's nose. She tries petting it like she usually does, trying to find some sign, ANY sign, of life from the Geno Ritter. Unfortunately, she gets no reply.

"Geno..." Sarah cries as tears fall down her cheeks. "He... He can be repaired, right?" Sarah asks through the tears.

Roderick glances away, "I'm afraid it's not that simple. The body can be repaired yes, even if some of the parts are hard to come by. However, that last attack from the Geno Scissors heavily damaged the zoid core of the Geno Ritter. Zoid cores are the sources of power for a zoid, made with ancient, but highly advanced technology that we do not possess. It's like the heart of a zoid, but... with it gone... I'm afraid the Geno Ritter is lost to us. My deepest apologies," Roderick explains.

And yet, even after all the pain she's feeling right now, there goes another knife getting stabbed into her heart, and Sarah falls onto her knees as she lets out all of her pain and anguish, crying her heart out at the loss of her beloved partner. The others can do nothing but watch, knowing that nothing that they do will help Sarah at this moment. After a while, Sarah passes out from the emotional turmoil and the group take her back to the inn to rest. While she rests in their room, Grace and Colt meet back up with Roderick to go over what to do next.

"This isn't good. This isn't good at all," Grace solemnly says.

"Agreed. For now, we're keeping the situation regarding the Geno Ritter quiet. If people learn of its destruction, who knows who will try to come and get a piece of it. Junk dealers, journalists, collectors, and who knows who else. No one will know about this except those working on this mission. However, the fact remains that we have your next zoid battle to deal with right now," Roderick says.

"Are you serious?! Sarah is a wreck right now, Geno is dead, and we're not sure the NBG is done with us yet. I'm sorry if a zoid battle isn't my top priority right now!" Grace angrily says.

"Grace, calm down. None of us are fans of this situation," Colt says.

"So we just forfeit the battle. It's just one match, there will be others," Grace suggests.

"Maybe, but what about the next battle, and the next? If people see Team Lockhart fighting without the Geno Ritter, or its's pilot, they'll start asking questions. I'm sorry, but we need to keep up appearances. Now, people will wonder why Sarah Lockhart and the Geno Ritter aren't in the next battle, but they'll forget about it eventually. Right now, we need to figure out what we're going to do since your next battle is in a few days," Roderick says.

"Well, what do you suppose we do?" Grace asks, getting annoyed now.

"Well, we've actually been coming through the ranks, looking for zoid warriors in class B that are looking for a team and would be willing to join yours," Roderick says.

"You're already replacing Sarah?!" Grace yells.

"Grace, calm down, you know it's not like that. Think about it, you really think Sarah is in any condition to fight right now?" Colt tells her.

Grace hates to admit it, but Colt's got a point. Sarah is an emotional wreck right now, and the Geno Ritter is destroyed. But that still doesn't change the fact that she's the team's leader.

"Fine, you made your point. So, who do you have in mind?" Grace asks.

"We've found a few candidates that may fit the bill, but we would like you two to meet them and give us your input on who would be a good choice. We're bringing the candidates to this city through our other units. Truth be told, we already had a plan in place for this in case your team made it in to class A," Roderick says.

"Alright, I guess for now, we'll give these candidates a look and see who might make it," Colt says.

"...Fine. But, they'd better be good, or else you'll hear from me again," Grace warns Roderick.

…

Soon enough, Sarah awakens from her slumber and recalls the earlier events of the day. Sorrow quickly overtakes her.

 _"Geno... I'm so sorry... This is my fault... If only I was a better pilot, a better partner..."_ Sarah mentally laments.

She looks around, finding Grace asleep in her own bed. It must be night out by now. Finding the strength to get out of bed, Sarah sneaks out of the room while trying to make sure she doesn't wake Grace. Heading to the institute, she finds few people around. Some of the ZBC soldiers try to stop her, but after showing her credentials and who she is, they let her pass since they were given orders to allow members of the Lockhart team entry into the quartered off area. Sarah finds her fallen partner, bathed in some lights hanging over it. She places her hand on its head.

"This is all my fault," she mutters.

"What's all your fault?" a new voice calls out.

Sarah nearly jumps into the air as she gets spooked and turns around to find a young boy standing behind her. The boy appears to be in his early teens, with short, grayish black hair going down to his shoulders, and with brownish red eyes. He is wearing a white, buttoned-up shirt, blue jeans, and shoes.

"Who are you?" Sarah asks.

"Eh, no one special. So, what's your fault again?" the boy asks.

"I... I got someone killed... Someone important to me... Because I wasn't strong enough," Sarah sadly says as she turns back to her partner.

The boy walks up to stand next to her, "The Geno Ritter. Never seen one before. Reminds me of my own partner," the boy says.

"Partner? Wait, you're a zoid pilot? And for the record, you're not supposed to be here," Sarah says.

"Eh, I can get in pretty much everywhere these days. I'm a special case," the boy says.

"I don't think being 'mommy's special angel' counts, kid," Sarah says.

"I'm not a kid, and I'm not an angel either. I'm a king," the boy retorts.

"Whatever," Sarah says, turning back to her partner.

"Well, if you ask me, I don't think anything was your fault," the boy says.

"Yes, it IS my fault. If I had been a better pilot, if I had thought things through, then Geno would still be alive. Maybe... maybe if we hadn't met, then he'd definitely still be alive," Sarah laments.

"Nah, I think he was glad to meet you and become your partner. I can tell: he was alone where you found him, but you gave him a place to call home. You became his friend, and I think he's glad to have become your partner and friend," the boy explains.

Sarah appears surprised by his words as she stares back at the Geno Ritter. Was the Geno Ritter happy when it met her? It certainly opened up to her, and it shared with her its memories. Could this boy be right?

Sarah shakes her head, "You're just a kid, you wouldn't understand," she mutters.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that. My partner is a lot like yours," the boy says as he begins to walk away.

"Your partner?" Sarah asks.

"Yep..." the boy says and turns to face her. "He's sleeping right now. He's the Berserk Fury," the boy says and then walks away.

Sarah watches him go, "Berserk Fury... Wait... was that..." Sarah mutters as her eyes widen in shock. "Vega Obscura. The King of the underground zoid battles. And the one that fought Bit Cloud at the Royal Cup," she realizes.

…

The next day, after Sarah snuck back without them noticing, Grace and Colt explain the situation to Sarah. She agreed with the plan to find someone to help them out, since she is still not up for battling right now. Leaving Sarah to rest at the inn, Grace and Colt go to meet some of the candidates that Roderick brought for them. However, they made it clear that they would decide who gets to join the team, not him. Of course, that was easier said than done.

"So, why should we let you join our team?" Colt asks.

The first candidate is a guy with messy blonde hair, wearing a sleeveless jacket over a short-sleeved shirt, leather pants, and boots.

"Well, I've had a good record of zoids battle victories-," the guy says.

"And an even greater record of totaling your own zoids in the process. And under heavy debt because of it," Grace looks over his file.

"Well, if I join your team, then that problem will get fixed in no time. Say, you don't mind if I get sixty percent of the prize money, right?" the guy asks.

The two show deadpanned looks at him, "Next," Grace says.

The next candidate is a woman some years older than them. She has long red hair tied in a ponytail wearing a brown jacket like an air pilot's jacket. She is also wearing dark brown pants and a black top showing her mid-driff.

"Let's see, you have some experience with aerial zoids. That's good. Your team was on the rise until bandits stole most of your zoids, except for yours," Colt reads off.

"Yeah, well, I managed to get mine in the skies before they could make a grab for it," the woman says.

"You didn't think to track them while informing the local authorities about the theft?" Grace asks.

The woman starts scratching her cheek, "Yeah, the thought didn't occur to me because it all happened so fast," she says nervously.

"It also seems that those zoids were sold off for some cash... Not long after that you got some serious money prizes to your account. Care to explain?" Colt asks.

"Um... well..." the woman trails off.

"Next," Grace says.

The next candidate is a man with short black hair faded out at the sides, a long-sleeved silver shirt under a dark blue leather jacket, and black pants and boots.

"Okay, you used to be in class A, but got knocked down after suffering a few losses from some of the top teams in that class, but have years of experience with high-speed zoids. Not bad," Colt reads off.

"No issues with your history. No outstanding loans or suspicious activity. Pretty clean there," Grace adds.

"I've just been trying to get back into class A for another shot at those top teams. I figured when I heard you guys were looking for a new member, that this may be my ticket back there. And if I can help you guys get into class A, then it's a win-win for everybody," the man says.

"Well, I don't see any issues so far," Colt says.

"Hold up, why should we let you join our team?" Grace asks.

The man walks up and put an arm around her shoulders, "Well how about I tell you why over dinner, baby-girl," the man says, reaching just a little too close to where he shouldn't be reaching.

"Uh oh," Colt mutters.

A few seconds later, Roderick enters the room to check in on their progress, "So, how's the recruiting... going..." he trails off as he stares at the scene before him.

The guy is on the ground, holding his privates and with a beat-up face, while Colt is holding Grace back by her arms, trying to keep her from killing the poor guy.

"Let go of me, Colt! Just give me five minutes with that pervert so I can break his neck!" Grace yells, livid.

"Take it easy! No need to kill the guy! We'll just say next," Colt argues.

"We're SO far past that now!" Grace yells.

Roderick just watches on and then facepalms.

…

Meanwhile, Sarah is back at the inn, resting as her mind drifts back to the other night.

 _"Call me... Hunter... Your end,"_ the words of the pilot of the Geno Scissors echo in her mind.

"He said his name was Hunter..." Sarah mutters. She grabs her zoid gear and starts looking through the zoid warrior database, looking for any zoid warriors, past or present, registered with that name. However, she comes up with no hits. "Maybe, it's a nickname or something," she mutters and tries again under a different angle, but once again comes up with nothing. "Maybe this guy is like the former members of the Backdraft Group. Not registered with the ZBC. He was always going on about 'the hunt' and stuff like that. And yet, there was something off about the way he talked, now that I think about it. I just wish I knew more, then maybe I... maybe I could've saved Geno," Sarah thinks out loud. Her mind starts to wander again as she thinks about her fallen partner. "I just wish there was something I could do to help you get back together, Geno. I'm so sorry," she mutters.

She glances out the window to her room, noticing a long white jacket walk by at the last second before it escapes her view.

"Hey, was that..." Sarah mutters.

…

Back with the others, Grace, Colt, and Roderick are all going over the results so far.

"Are you telling me that no one; out of all the candidates we found for you, no one fits the bill?" Roderick asks, flabbergasted.

"Well, it's not our fault all your choices suck. We've got major ash loans, possible crimes, and don't even get me started on all the people who tried hitting on me or wanted Sarah's personal number," Grace groans, resting her head on a table.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Colt says.

"One of them said that we could keep his share of the prize money if Sarah and I did a threesome with him. HOW IS THAT NOT BAD?!" Grace shouts.

"Okay, you have a point. Either way, you're the one who suggested them, Roderick. If anything, this is your fault because you suck at choosing good pilots to join us," Colt says.

Roderick sighs, "Look, we'll just have to try again tomorrow. We still have a few candidates left. But, you must choose someone to join your team. Either that, or you go in with just the two of you, or you forfeit the match. It's up to you, but you need to decide soon since your next match is only a couple days away," Roderick reminds them.

Grace sighs, "Don't remind me. But, who can we find that would fit the bill for our team?" Grace wonders.

"Hey, I hear you guys are looking for a new teammate," they hear and look behind them.

Grace widens her eyes, "You've got to be kidding me," she says.

Colt actually smiles, "Actually, this just might work," he says.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Now, we see the extent of the damage to the Geno Ritter, and to Sarah. Meanwhile, the rest of the team look for a fourth member to join them, and may have stumbled upon said member. Sarah meets Vega Obscura, and begins to ask questions regarding the pilot of the Geno Scissors. Who did Grace and Colt meet? Will Sarah ever get back on her feet? What awaits them in the future? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	21. Chapter 21: Fly on White Wings

**Here we are at Chapter 21. The time for Team Lockhart's next zoid battle has come, so let's see who they get as their new team member. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 21. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Fly on White Wings**

The time for Team Lockhart's next battle is near, and while Sarah's injuries are almost fully healed, she's still in no condition to battle; resting in her bed again. Besides, without her Geno Ritter, how could she fight.

"I feel so useless. The battle's tomorrow, and Grace and Colt won't have me to support them," Sarah laments to herself. Just then, there's a knock at the door. "Come in," she calls out, and in walks a surprising, yet familiar face. "Wait a minute, you're..." she says.

The visitor turns out to be Sky and his younger brother, Rickie.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty, miss us?" Rickie greets us.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sarah asks.

"You're looking at your new teammates!" Rickie cheers.

"Huh? Seriously?" Sarah asks, surprised.

"We'll in your place," Sky adds.

Sarah was worried about how her teammates would do in the next battle, but now with the knowledge that Sky will be helping them, she can now feel more at ease.

"I thank you for offering your help, and I'm sorry to put you through so much trouble," Sarah says.

"Hey, it's no biggie. We've been looking for a new team to join anyway. Besides, we've fought against your team before, so we're pretty familiar with your abilities. Speaking of which, I wanted to ask, why aren't you fighting in the next battle? Where's the Geno Ritter?" Rickie asks.

At hearing that, Sarah's sadness returns and she looks out the window.

"Geno... is gone. Destroyed," Sarah admits, even as tears begin to form in her eyes.

"What?! What happened?!" Rickie asks.

…

"How the Hell did this happen?!" Rickie yells as he looks at the remains of the Geno Ritter. Sarah had brought them to the hanger to show them. Since they're her new teammates, it wasn't fair to keep this from them. "How could you have let this happen to the Geno Ritter?! Are you crazy?!" Rickie yells.

Sky punches Rickie on the top of his head, "Mind your manners," he tells him.

"Ow, hey, what-," Rickie begins, but then sees the sad look on Sarah's face, and thinks twice about what he is about to say. "Oh, um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I was just surprised, that's all," Rickie apologizes.

"It's fine. It's because I wasn't skilled enough that this happened to Geno. I'm still trying to figure out what to do right now, but the next battle is tomorrow. So please, I know I have no right to ask you of this, but please: help Colt and Grace in the next battle," she requests of them.

Rickie sighs, "You don't have to worry about that. We're teammates now, so that's pretty much a given. We'll come back with a victory around our belts. You can count on that," Rickie says.

…

The next day, the battle begins not too far from the city. The Steel Fang Team has already shown up, with all four of their zoids in place. Soon enough though, Team Lockhart shows up, but the sudden appearance of Sky's Pteramander and the lack of Sarah's Geno Ritter is surprising for a lot of people. Sarah watches from her room at the inn.

"Good luck guys," Sarah says.

…

In another town, Leon and Naomi are watching the battle from a zoid warrior hangout and are shocked by the new team layout.

"Huh, isn't that the Pteramander from the former Grun Team? Where's Sarah and her Geno Ritter?" Naomi asks.

"I don't know, Naomi. But something appears to be up," Leon thinks.

…

In another area, Jack and the Lightning Team are watching the same battle.

 _"Sarah's not participating in this battle. That's not normal,"_ Jack thinks.

…

The Steel Fang Team are equally surprised.

"What the Hell is this? I was hoping to battle against the Geno Ritter. Where's your leader?" the leader of their team in the Dark Spiner asks.

"Sorry, but our leader has other business to attend to, so she couldn't make it. Don't worry, you'll still lose all the same," Colt replies.

"Heh, it looks like they're belittling us. That'll be your last mistake. Fang Four, focus on the Pteramander. We'll handle the other two," the leader says.

"Roger that," the pilot in the Redler replies.

Soon enough, the judge satellite appears and the judge comes out.

"Scanning... Scanning... This area is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personal must vacate the area immediately. The Lockhart Team vs the Steel Fang Team. Battle mode 0-9-9-0. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready... Fight!" the judge sounds off and the gong is rung.

The Redler and Pteramander zoids quickly take off into the skies while the ground zoids take off across the desert floor. The two Rev Raptors go after Grace's Spinosapper while the Dark Spiner dukes it out with Colt and his Bravejaguar.

 _"Listen, that Dark Spiner's electrical attack while fry your zoid's systems, but I can dodge it's attacks. You'll have to deal with the Rev Raptors by yourself. I need to know: you think you can handle them alone?"_ Colt's words echo in her head.

"If it's for Sarah, then I'll take on a whole army of them by myself if I have to. Let's go, partner!" Grace yells.

The Spinosapper roars as it charges in, firing off its gatling guns at its enemies. The two rev Raptors separate and run around the Spinosapper, firing off their laser guns at it. The Spinosapper uses its chainsaws to block the shots, but then one Rev Raptor comes in with its blades out. The Spinosapper roars and swings one of its chainsaws at it, only for the Rev Raptor to jump away and the second one to launch a surprise attack with its laser guns, hitting Grace's zoid.

"Argh! These guys are good!" Grace grits her teeth.

Meanwhile, Colt runs around the Dark Spiner as it fires off its 144mm machine guns, trying to get a few hits in.

"The guns aren't the problem. The real problem will be the sail on its back," Colt mutters.

Speaking of which, the Dark Spiner roars as electrical energy builds up in its sail. Within seconds, it fires off a strong electrical burst at the Bravejaguar. The Bravejaguar manages to evade it for the most part, but a part of the attack hits the back of the zoid, disabling its twin beam cannons.

"Ah, crap!" Colt curses.

Up in the skies, Sky dukes it out with the opposing team's Redler, which flies around his zoid.

"Modified thrusters," Sky mutters.

Sky fires off his laser cannons, but the Redler twists around the attack and then comes in, firing off its laser cannons at him. The Pteramander dives beneath the attack and then flies straight to the ground below. The Redler gives chase, but then the Pteramander turns around while falling and fires off its missile launchers at it. The Redler breaks off its attack to evade them, giving Sky the chance to get his zoid flying again. The Redler comes back in, engaging the blade in its tail and making a strike at the Pteramander. However, the Pteramander opens its mouth and fires its flamethrower breath attack at the Redler, taking it by surprise and forcing it to move back as it's almost consumed by the flames.

"This guy's good," the Redler pilot notes.

Sky looks down below, seeing the others in trouble, and makes a dive towards them. Back on the ground, Grace is having trouble as the Rev Raptors keep making double attacks at her. One would come in, only to either attack or feint for the other one to attack. The Spinosapper has taken some damage, but isn't down yet. The Spinosapper swings its right chainsaw at one Rev Raptor, only for it to jump back to avoid it. Th second comes in from behind, its blades out. Grace notices and just manages to move her left chainsaw around to block the attack. The second one comes in and tries the same attack, with the Spinosapper blocking with its right chainsaw now.

"Come on, Spinosapper. I know you can do this. Let's go!" Grace yells.

The Spinosapper roars and moves around to clamp it jaws down on the tail of the Rev Raptor on its left. It swings its prey around into the second Rev Raptor, knocking them both away. Grace uses this chance to shred through the first Rev raptor with its chainsaws, but the second one manages to get back on its feet and retreat before it could be next.

"Crap! Fang 3 is down!" the pilot says.

"There, now it's one-on-one. I'm not done just yet," Grace says.

Back with Colt, the Dark Spiner fires off its machine guns again, while the Bravejaguar runs around it. It tries to make an attack from the rear, only for the double barrelled cannons on the back of the sail to fire at it, stopping his attack.

"It won't be that easy," the leader says, his zoid roaring at Colt as its sail charges up again.

"Aw crap," Colt mutters.

The Dark Spiner prepares to fire its electrical attack again, only for the Pteramander to suddenly swoop in and, with its feet, slam into the Dark Spiner's side, knocking it to the ground.

"What the Hell?!" Colt yells, just as shocked.

"Take it from here," Sky says before heading back into the skies to deal with the Redler.

Colt looks down to see the Dark Spiner trying to get back up.

"Oh, no you're not. Let's go, Strike Laser Claw!" Colt yells.

The Dark Spiner fires off its machine guns, but the Bravejaguar jumps over the shots and shreds through the sails of the Dark Spiner. With them gone, the disabling effects they had earlier are gone, giving Colt's zoid full functionality again. The Dark Spiner gets back on its feet and swings its tail at the Bravejaguard, but the Bravejaguar jumps around it and fires off its twin beam cannons at it, dealing enough damage to cause the zoid to shut down.

Colt breathes a sigh of relief, "Well, that's one down. Better go and help out Grace," he says before heading to where she is on the battlefield.

Back with Grace, she fires her gatling guns at the lone Rev Raptor running across the sand to evade it shots. Eventually, the Rev Raptor attacks again with its laser guns, firing at the sandy floor in front of the Spinosapper's feet, throwing up sand into the Spinosapper's view.

"Crap!" Grace mutters.

The Rev Raptor comes in through the sand, its blades out. Grace's eyes widen as its about to strike her. Suddenly, the Bravejaguar appears out of nowhere and pounces on the Rev Raptor, taking it to the ground. It then clamps its jaws on the neck of the Rev Raptor and rips the head off, taking it down.

"Colt!" Grace says in relief.

"Hey, Grace, you okay?" Colt asks.

"I've taken some damage, but I'll be fine. But, what about Sky?" Grace asks as the pair look up into the skies.

Up in the skies, Sky continues his battle against the enemy Redler. The Redler fires off its laser cannons again, only for the Pteramander to twist around to evade them.

"How is a zoid that large moving that fast," the Redler pilot says.

"Do your homework," Sky replies.

The Pteramander suddenly shoots up and starts flying higher into the skies. The Redler gives chase and already it's beginning to catch up. The Redler engages the boosters on the back of the cannons to get it even closer to the Pteramander's rear and starts firing off its cannons. A few shots hit the Pteramander, but it continues to fly higher into the skies.

"Come on, you know that a Pteramander is nowhere near as fast as a Redler," the pilot says.

"A normal Pteramander, yes," Sky says and hits a switch in his cockpit. "But, this isn't a normal Pteramander," he says.

Suddenly two more pairs of thrusters open up on the back of his zoid and engage; the Pteramander suddenly flying much faster than before, gaining distance from the Redler as it turns around and flies back towards it.

"What the Hell?!" the Redler pilot shouts as he moves his zoid out of the way of his opponent's path.

"This is the Pteramander F2," Sky says.

The Pteramander flies through the clouds in the skies, with the Redler trying to catch up. Once the Redler makes it through the clouds, it finds its opponent to be nowhere in sight.

"Where'd it go?!" the pilot yells.

"Look up," he hears and looks up, just in time to see the Pteramander fly straight down at it, releasing its flamethrower all over it as it flies by. "Oh crap!" the pilot yells.

The flames consume the Redler, damaging its thrusters and causing the Redler to start plummeting to the earth below. The pilot manages to hit the ejection switch and safely ejects from his damaged zoid, watching it crash and explode when it hits the ground below.

"No way, how did he take me down so fast? How did he get so fast?" the pilot mutters in shock.

The gong goes out, "Battle is over. Battle is over. The winner is... the Lockhart Team," the judge announces.

"Yeah, we did it!" Grace cheers.

"Whew, I was worried for a second there," Colt adds.

The Pteramander lands next to them, "Mission complete," Sky notes.

"Nice work, big bro! Another one falls before the might of Sky Fire!" Rickie cheers.

…

"Huh, looks like they managed to win it after all," Naomi notes.

"Maybe, but, I'm still concerned about Sarah not being there. Something doesn't feel right about this," Leon says.

…

 _"Nice work guys. You did it," Sarah mutters, happy that her team won. It is then that she has an epiphany. "This is stupid. I can't be sitting on my but, wallowing in self-pity. That's not going to help my team, and that's not going to help Geno. I can't keep doing this anymore,"_ she thinks, her fire beginning to return.

…

Later in the day, the team return to the zoid institute to get their zoids repaired and are surprised to find Sarah there, her bandages off and looking like she's full of energy now.

"Sarah, what are you doing here?" Grace asks.

"I came to say congratulations on your victory, guys. You did great," she says and then looks to Sky and Rickie. "And I wanted to thank you again for helping my team," she says.

"Um, are you forgetting? We joined your team, so technically, this is OUR team now. You're not getting rid of us that easy," Rickie says.

Sarah smiles a bit, "Right, still getting used to that, I guess. Thanks again. And I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you out," Sarah says.

"Sarah, it's okay. You were hurt, and the Geno Ritter was... well... you know. I didn't want you to go out there without a zoid and when you just weren't ready to get back out there," Grace says, holding Sarah's hands.

"Thanks Grace. But, I'm done sitting on the sidelines while you guys fight. I'm ready to get back out there," Sarah says and looks to her deceased partner. "It wouldn't be fair to Geno if I just sat around doing nothing. He wanted to fight, just like I do, so I'm not giving up now," Sarah says, wiping away a tear threatening to leave her eye.

"Well, that's good to hear. But... what are going to do about you? Without a zoid, what will you do? Get a new one?" Colt asks.

"Yeah, that part I'm still trying to figure out. I want to fight again, but I just can't see myself fighting without Geno. He wasn't just any normal zoid, and not just because he was powerful. I just... don't know exactly how I'm going to fight without him," Sarah says.

"You may not have to," they hear and look back to see a woman wearing a blue uniform and having long, dark blue hair, walking towards them. "I may be able to help with your current predicament," the woman says.

"Hold the phone, who are you?" Grace asks.

"Oh, great, the witch is in town," Colt mutters distastefully.

"I heard that, Mr. Wilson. I thought your mother would've taught you how to respect ladies," the woman says.

"Actually, she did," Colt retorts.

"Hello! Someone want to answer my question here?!" Grace yells, angry.

"You may call me Sarah," Sarah introduces herself.

"Wait, two Sarah's?" Grace questions, looking between them.

"Don't let it confuse you too much. She's from the Backdraft Group," Colt says.

"Is that so?" Sky asks.

"FORMERLY from the Backdraft Group. I work with the Zoid Battle Commission now," Sarah says.

"Wait, back on topic, what did you mean when you said that you could help us with our problem. Is there a way to fix Geno's zoid core and bring him back?" Sarah asks, hopeful.

"I'm afraid not, but I do have another idea. Let me ask you, what is the condition of the Geno Ritter's memory files and data storage?" Sarah asks.

"Um, well, actually... I never checked," Sarah replies.

"Then let's give it a check," Sarah says.

They move quickly and after a while, they managed to get inside the Geno Ritter's head, where its core memory would be.

"Alright, let's see what we can do here," Sarah says.

"Hey, I can help out," Rickie offers.

"Um, I don't think a kid is going to help me out with this," Sarah says.

"Let him help... He's good," Sky says to her.

Eventually, Sarah sighs, "Very well. Just make sure he does everything exactly as I say," she says.

With Rickie's help, they manage to remove some kind of circuit board from the Geno Ritter's head.

"What is that?" Sarah asks.

Sarah retrieves the circuit board from Rickie, "Think of this as a container... for every one of the Geno Ritter's memories. His core mind if your will. While the zoid core is the heart of a zoid, this is the brain. We don't need all of it though, just this piece... and a zoid that will make a suitable replacement for the Geno Ritter," Sarah explains.

"Wait, are you saying..." Sarah trails off.

"If we can find a zoid that is of the same or similar type as the Geno Ritter, and download the Geno Ritter's memories into that zoid, we might be able to bring him back, only this time with a new body," Sarah explains.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Team Lockhart managed to score another victory, with Sky and Rickie as the new members of their team. Meanwhile, it seems there may be a way to bring the Geno Ritter back from the dead. But, will it work? And what if the NBG attack again? Can Sarah save her beloved partner? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	22. Chapter 22: Digging Deep

**Here we are at Chapter 22. Time to see what Team Lockhart will do in regards to a possible resurrection of the Geno Ritter. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 22. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Digging Deep**

"Wait, did you just say that we're going to give the Geno Ritter a new body, but with his old memories?" Grace asks.

"Yes. Let me ask you all something: do you remember the final stages of the royal cup, when the Liger Zero fought against the Berserk Fury?" Sarah asks.

"Uh, yeah, how could we not. They nearly destroyed the old Ultrasaurus zoid they were fighting on. It was epic," Grace says.

"Well then, let me tell you all something. The Liger Zero and the Berserk Fury are two special zoids, known as the Ultimate X," Sarah says.

"Wait, what's that?" Sarah asks.

"An Ultimate X is a zoid that possesses the unique ability to learn and adapt from each battle it participates in. They memorize their opponents combat moves, and react accordingly. Essentially, with each battle they're in, they get stronger. That is one of the main reasons why those two zoids were so powerful. Because they have the ability to learn and evolve from each battle," Sarah explains.

"Interesting," Sky notes.

"They can learn from their battles... That's so cool. How are they able to do that?" Rickie asks excitedly.

"They possess what is known as a black box, which is an old organoid system that was designed to improve the zoid's performance. The technology itself is lost to us, which is why Ultimate X zoids are so rare these days," Sarah explains.

"So, are you saying that the Geno Ritter is an Ultimate X, just like them?" Sarah asks.

"Not quite. Your Geno Ritter doesn't possess the organoid system to make it into an Ultimate X. However, the Z-Link system, when connected with you, has allowed it to become something similar. Kind of like a psuedo-Ultimate X zoid, so to speak. That's why I was able to extract its memory chip like I did. The Z-Link system was made to increase the performance of the zoid and to help it adapt to different combat situations. And so, with this-," she gestures to the memory chip in her hand. "We can essentially bring the Geno Ritter back to life by downloading its memories into a new body," Sarah says.

"So, we just need to get a zoid body and download his memories? Sounds easy enough," Rickie notes.

"Don't be so sure about that. When it comes to the she-devil here, things are never quite that simple," Colt notes, crossing his arms.

"And here I thought that spending time with these young ladies would help you in maturing a little more. I suppose not all of us have the capacity to evolve, Mr. Wilson," Sarah insults him.

"Are you saying I'm an idiot?" Colt argues, balling up his fists.

"No, she concluded that you're an idiot," Grace says, making him glare at her, though she brushes it off.

"Back on topic, what's the problem about downloading Geno's memories into a new body?" Sarah asks.

"We can't just download his memories into any random zoid. Each zoid type is different in many ways. If this is to work, we'll need another Geno-type zoid to act as the new body," Sarah explains.

"You wouldn't happen to have another Geno Ritter lying around, would you?" Rickie asks.

"I'm afraid not. That would make this a lot easier. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any other Geno Ritters existing anymore. Sarah Lockhart's Geno Ritter may have been the last of its kind..." Sarah says, making the teenagers look down in sorrow. "However, I do have one idea that we could try," Sarah says.

"What's that?" Grace asks.

"Back when I was working for the Backdraft Group, we dug up the Berserk Fury off the northern coasts of the continent. We also found three Geno Saurers there, thought they were destroyed during the royal cup. However, after we found the Berserk Fury, we halted our excavation of the site. There may be something there. I'm not saying that we'll find a new body for your partner, but we might find something that could lead us in the right direction," Sarah suggests.

Sarah looks back to the remains of her fallen partner for a moment, feeling sad that he's still gone in a way, but then gets a determined look in her eye and turns back to Sarah.

"If it'll bring my best friend back, then I'll do whatever it takes. Let's do it," Sarah says.

Grace pumps her fist into the air, "Yeah, let's do it!" she cheers.

Colt sighs, "Well, if it means getting Geno back, then I'll work with ya... just this once though," Colt says to Sarah, who just smirks back.

"Hey, if means getting my hands on some sweet, rare zoid tech, then I'm game," Rickie says, while Sky just nods.

"When can we leave?" Sarah asks.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow. There's a Whale King sent by the ZBC on its way now. They'll arrive tomorrow morning," Sarah says.

"Okay, then let's get ready for when they arrive," Sarah says.

…

The next day, the ZBC Whale King arrives and the gang quickly get their zoids and gear on board. They move the Geno Ritter's remains on board for the trip, and for the eventual return to the ZBC HQ for safe keeping. The Whale King takes off shortly after that and makes its way towards the northern coasts of the continent. While on the way to the site, Sarah sits up against the Geno Ritter's head, feeling most at home with her partner at her side.

"Soon, Geno. Soon, we'll have you back on your feet, and you'll be stronger than you were before. And I promise, I won't fail you like last time," Sarah mutters, eyes closed as she brushes her hand along the Geno Ritter's head.

"Yeah, I figured I'd find you here," she hears a voice and looks up to see none other than Vega Obscura standing before her.

"You're... Vega Obscura," Sarah mutters as she stands up.

"Yep, and you're Sarah Lockhart. Nice to be properly acquainted this time. Sarah told me about the plan to bring your partner back from the dead. Pretty crazy, but if I know Sarah, it's that she's got a knack for this sort of thing," Vega notes.

"I see," Sarah says before looking back to her partner. "Tell me, what was it like... when you first met the Berserk Fury?" she asks out of curiosity.

"It felt... like I had found a piece of me that had been missing for a long time. It felt right. I could understand him, and he could understand me. Sorry, I'm not good at this kind of stuff," Vega says.

"I think it was the same for me. You know, you were part of what inspired me to become a zoid warrior. I watched the royal cup, and saw the final battle between you and Bit Cloud and his Liger Zero. It was incredible. Seeing zoids as powerful as yours fighting with everything they had to win. To prove who was the best of the best. I've never seen a zoid battle like that before," Sarah says.

"Oh, yeah? Well, that's flattering. We should be at the northern coast soon. You should rest up before we get there. See ya later," Vega says and walks away, leaving Sarah alone with the Geno Ritter.

"He sure seems a little off for a zoid warrior. But, then again, so are a lot of people I've met," Sarah mutters.

"Hey, I hope you're not talking about me," she hears and looks to see Colt and Grace join her.

"Hey guys. Where are Sky and Rickie at?" Sarah asks.

"Rickie going over some things with the witch, and Sky's there to make sure he doesn't break anything," Colt says.

"I see. Um, if you don't mind me asking: why do you and Sarah not get along?" Sarah asks.

Colt glances away in annoyance, "I just don't like how she's such a know-it-all. He has this vibe that speaks 'I'm smarter than you' kind of deal, and it pisses me off. I don't really know, we've just never liked each other, so there," he says, hands resting behind his head.

"What are you, five?" Grace and Sarah mentally ask as they stare at him.

"Anyway, you guys think we'll find something when we get to that old dig site?" Colt asks.

"I hope so. Best case scenario, we find a a new body for Geno. Worst case scenario, we find absolutely nothing and we're back to square one. I'm hoping for the first one," Sarah says.

"If something as strong and as rare as the Berserk Fury was found there, there's gotta be other stuff they haven't dug up," Grace tries to keep things positive.

"You're right. Gotta think happy thoughts here," Sarah says before placing a hand on the Geno Ritter's head. "For both of our sakes," she mutters.

After a few more hours, the Whale King makes it to the northern coastline where the Berserk Fury was originally located. The group like a look out through an observation deck of the large flying zoid, and notice the beach as they fly over it.

"Too bad we didn't have any swimsuits and that we're not here on vacation. I would've loved to go for a swim," Grace notes.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea, once our team is whole again and we get some more prize money," Sarah adds.

"Yeah, the beach..." Colt mutters with a grin, thinking about seeing the girls in bikinis... only for Grace to kick him in his backside. "OW! What was that for?!" he yells.

"You were thinking of something perverted, weren't you? Well, you can forget it. If we ever go to the beach, you're getting tied up and locked in the Gustav with Geno watching you," Grace says, hands on her hips.

"Geez, why you do always make me look like the bad guy here?" Colt pleads.

"Shall we make you a list?" Grace deadpans.

"Fine. Whatever, I give. Let's just get this operation over with already," Colt says.

The Whale King lands on the beach and opens its mouth to send out a squad of Maccurtis zoids that crawl into the ocean and head further down. After that, the Whale King itself heads down into the deep. The group watch as they descend deeper into the deep blue of the ocean until they find the sea floor, noticing some signs of past excavations in the area.

"This is where we found the Berserk Fury. Much of the area was already dug up, so that'll save us some time. However, we don't have as many zoids to dig up the rest of the area as we did before, so this may take some time. I've pinpointed a few spots that might give us something useful, but it'll be a while. I'll inform you when we have something," Sarah says and departs to take command of the operation.

"Okay, so now what do we do?" Grace asks.

"Beats me. Underwater digging isn't really my thing," Colt notes.

"Well, I'm going to do some reading. I'll see you guys later," Sarah says and takes her leave.

"Huh, since when does she read?" Colt asks.

"Do you want me to hit you again?" Grace threatens him, spooking him a bit.

Sarah returns to a room that was provided for her by Sarah. Not much, just a bed, a desk with a chair, and a closet for clothes. She lies down on the bed and pulls out her zoid gear to do some more research.

"Alright, let's try and see if we can find out who you are... Hunter..." Sarah mutters.

She looks through the ZBC archive that holds records on every past and present zoid warrior that fought in the ZBC battles, looking for anyone with the name 'Hunter'. Of course, she tried this before, but decides to give this another try. However, after a while, she ends up with no hits.

"Okay, let's see... what if instead of looking for official zoid warriors, how about zoid fighters that are wanted by the authorities," Sarah mutters and takes a look at wanted posters and criminal information released to the public. She looks for anyone with the name of Hunter and once again, finds no hits. "Okay, nothing there. What am I missing? He always talked about 'the hunt' and actually didn't speak that much... Almost like there was something preventing him from completing a long sentence. What about... this," Sarah mutters and now looks up any people that have gone missing with the name Hunter. The search takes a few minutes, and she ends up with a few missing persons with the name Hunter. "Let's see... one person went missing fifty years ago. There's little chance someone that old would be a pilot, and he sounded younger too. This one seems plausible, but has some drug abuse history, which makes him unlikely to be that skilled of a pilot... Wait," Sarah mutters as she finds a file about a missing boy named Hunter that disappeared almost four years ago. "Hunter Krato. Went missing around four years ago after his family was attacked by an unknown source while on a vacation in the northern region. Parents were found deceased, but his body was never recovered. No witnesses, and no new updates since a month after his disappearance. Presumed dead at this point. Could this be..." Sarah wonders as she stares at the picture. It shows Hunter Krato at sixteen years-old when he went missing. He had tanned skin and short black hair, with some front locks masking his right eye and part of the right side of his face. He has green eyes and no visible tattoos or scars. "Hunter Krato... are you the one piloting the Geno Scissors? If so... then why?" Sarah mutters to herself.

Unfortunately, there isn't much else on Hunter, so Sarah gets what she can and puts it on hold for the time being. Leaving her room to head back to the observation deck, she finds it empty and looks out the window to see the zoids hard at work with their digging. She just stands there, arms crossed, for a few minutes before she finally notices Sky suddenly appear right next to her.

"Sky? When did you get here?" Sarah asks.

"Just now," Sky replies, his eyes still fixed on the excavation.

"Uh-huh. So, where's Rickie?" Sarah asks.

"Working," Sky replies, keeping his responses short as usual.

Sarah sighs. Guess getting a decent conversation out of him won't be so easy. She sees the Maccurtis zoids digging further down the path in the ravine. It seems they've been at it for a while, and have so far found nothing. The seconds feel like minutes and the minutes feel like hours as Sarah just watches the operation continue along. Eventually, Colt and Grace return and join them.

"I talked with one of the guys, and he says that the operation will be over soon. There isn't much left to dig up. Most of the place was already dug up when the Backdraft Group was here, so there wasn't much left to look at in the first place. Hopefully, they find something before we leave," Colt explains.

"We just gotta stay positive about this. All this gloomy stuff isn't gonna help anybody right now," Grace adds.

However, Sarah doesn't respond as she keeps her eyes on the excavation. The minutes roll by again and Sarah feels like there's just nothing left here. Her hopes dwindling, Sarah begins to leave. She's just about to exit the room when Colt says something.

"Hold up, they stopped," Colt says.

Sarah turns and walks back, seeing the Maccurtis zoids digging around one area that is next to the left canyon wall of the ravine. She peers through the observation glass, just as they remove enough sand and debris to reveal the top of a large, metal crate. And just like that, Sarah's hopes return with newfound strength. After that, they dig up a few smaller crates next to the large one.

"Could that be...?" Colt wonders.

"We'll see," Sky notes.

Sarah doesn't stick around as she makes a run for it to the loading bay. After the Maccurtis bring the crate on board, the Whale King leave the water and returns to the surface. Landing on dry land, the Maccurtis bring the crate into the loading bay, along with the smaller ones that were found with it. After everything gets dried off, the crews work on cutting their way through the large crate. The rest of Team Lockhart join her, along with Rickie, Sarah, and Vega. When the crate finally gets opened up, they find none other than a Geno Saurer inside of it.

"A Geno Saurer... But, I thought you said that they were all destroyed during the royal cup," Grace asks.

"I said the ones that Altile found were destroyed. It looks like they missed one. As for the smaller crates there..." Sarah notes as she looks at the smaller crates.

"Do you think there are other zoids in them? They look too small to be for zoids," Grace says.

"I don't believe they contain other zoids. However, I do have an idea about what they do possess," Sarah says as she stares at the smaller crates for a moment.

"How soon can we get Geno's memories into that thing?" Sarah asks excitedly.

"Not right now. We don't have the equipment for that on the Whale King and this is a project that's never really been done before. The ZBC have a lab where we can continue the project there with the proper equipment. We'll bring everything we found there and see what we can do. Let's get moving," Sarah says and already gets to work on ordering the men to make sure everything is set for takeoff.

"Well, looks like we might be able to bring your partner back after all, Sarah," Grace says, trying to encourage her leader.

"Yeah, I hope so... Geno..." Sarah says, her eyes locked on the Geno Saurer before her.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Team Lockhart, with help from Sarah and Vega, have found a possible new body for the Geno Ritter, along with some other stuff, but will it really work. Meanwhile, Sarah begins to uncover the possible identity of the Geno Scissors' pilot, but will that help her the next time she meets him, or not? Will they be able to bring the Geno Ritter back? What if the NBG attacks again? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	23. Chapter 23: Plans in Motion

**Here we are at Chapter 23. Now that the group have found a replacement body for the Geno Ritter, it's time to see if their plan will actually work. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 23. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: Plans in Motion**

After making sure that everything was secured and on board, the Whale King takes off back into the sky to head to the ZBC base that Sarah mentioned. The flight took a while, and by the time they reach the facility, all members of Team Lockhart except for Sky, who disappeared again, are fast asleep as it was night out. They had been provided rooms (keeping the boys in one room and the girls in another) for the trip and it appeared that they wouldn't be leaving until the next morning. In the realm of dreams, Sarah finds herself alone in a vast desert, in another dream. She looks around, finding nothing around her except for sand. The sun beats down upon her, but she doesn't feel hot. If anything, she feels very cold.

"Grace! Colt! Sky, Rickie!... Geno!" Sarah shouts out loud, hoping for someone, anyone to answer her.

A sudden gust of wind blows by and engulfs her in sand. She covers her eyes with her arms and when the small sandstorm finally settles, she opens her eyes to find that the scenery has changed. Now, she finds herself in some kind of cave, with only one way to go. She starts walking, being only able to see through some unknown light source that seems to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. As she walks, images start appearing on the cavern walls, showing battle after battle, fire and brimstone, and worst of all, scores of zoid bodies, ripped to pieces. The scenes horrify Sarah, freezing her in place before they finally subside. When she is sure that those images won't return, he continues on ahead. Walking further down, new images appear, only this time, it shows footsteps in the sand, and then a pair of blades that Sarah recognizes all too well. She's seeing more of the Geno Ritter's memories. Even after his death, she is still connected to him. A light begins to appear at the end of the tunnel, and Sarah finds herself running towards it until it engulfs her. Now Sarah finds herself on a mountain cliff, and looking back she sees the Zi Mountain that is near her hometown.

She looks back upon hearing some noise behind her and manages to catch a glimpse of a dark blue tail before it enters the darkness of another cave.

"Geno?" Sarah mutters and runs in after him.

Running into the darkness of the tunnel, she can feel the heavy footsteps of something large through the ground, making her run faster. After running for what felt like hours to her, Sarah finally finds what she's been looking for.

"Geno..." Sarah mutters in joy as she sees her lost partner in a large open space in the cave.

The Geno Ritter walks around the area, looking up to see a small opening in the roof, showing the sky above. The Geno Ritter roars, but Sarah finds something off about it. This roar, it wasn't like the normal fierce ones he would make in battle. This one sounds... tired. Even a little sad. Like he had been through Hell and back and could finally rest now. Given what she learned about his past, she could understand. The Geno Ritter walks over to one side of the cavern and lowers itself down, lying down on the rock. Sarah realizes that since this is another memory of the Geno Ritter, he won't notice her. Sarah walks up to her partner's head as his eyes dim, slowing that he's fallen asleep.

"Geno... what happened to you?" Sarah mutters, as she places a hand on the Geno's left eye. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed help. I'm sorry I wasn't able to heal away all the pain you went through, the loneliness you must've felt. I'm sorry I couldn't save you that night you died," Sarah apologizes as tears fall down her eyes, and she rests her head against Geno's and closes her eyes. However, when she opens her eyes, she quickly becomes terrified at seeing the Geno Ritter's body, reduced to pieces like before. "Geno?" Sarah mutters, scared.

She hears some noise behind her and turns around to find a large shadowy figure of a zoid with its red eyes staring right back at her.

"The hunt is over... You failed him... You failed... everyone..." a male voice rings out.

The zoid roars as something comes out of its back and lunges at her, making her scream.

…

Sarah screams as she finally awakens from her nightmare, sitting up in her bed in a cold sweat. Apparently, she woke up Grace, who is quick to get out of her bed and sit in front of Sarah, who is breathing heavily.

"Sarah, are you okay?" Grace asks, worried.

Sarah holds her face in her hands as she tries to calm down, "It... It was just a nightmare, Grace. It was just a nightmare," Sarah tries to place it off.

Grace gently takes Sarah's hands and coaxes her to look Grace in the eye.

"Sarah, don't shut me out. Talk to me, please," Grace pleads.

The nightmare drained Sarah, physically and emotionally, but she manages to force herself to look at Grace.

"I saw more of Geno's memories. There was an endless desert, then a cavern showing images of destruction, battles, and zoids left in pieces. Then it changed and I found myself back on Zi mountain, where Geno had hidden himself. I think it was a memory of after he escaped that lab and was chased by those that were experimenting on him. When I saw him in the cave on the mountain, he looked so... sad, exhausted, alone. And then suddenly there was this, I don't know, some dark zoid with red eyes that attacked me. It felt so real. I just... he's been through so much pain, and I wasn't there to do anything about it. Just like I wasn't able to help him when the NBG attacked. I'm just... I just want Geno to be back, but I don't know if he'll still want to fight with me if he does come back. What if he decides he wants a partner that won't get him killed again? What if-," Sarah starts to cry before Grace suddenly wraps her arms around Sarah in a tight embrace.

"Of course he'll want you back. And WHEN we bring him back, the both of you will never be separated again. He could've chosen anyone to be his partner, even a pilot that was already in class A, but he chose YOU. Because like me, he saw something in you... that you don't even see in yourself," Grace says and pulls away a bit to look into Sarah's eyes. "So, you listen and you listen good: you are NOT a terrible pilot or a terrible partner. You and Geno are meant to be partners. What happened to him wasn't your fault, and I'll keep telling you that as many times as I need to until you believe it yourself. When Geno gets back, we'll be a real team again. We'll take down the NBG, and then we'll go on to get into class S so you can fulfill your dream of battling against Bit Cloud and the Liger Zero. And we'll all be there to back you up, so don't worry, okay," Grace offers some words of encouragement while wiping Sarah's tears away.

"...I thought I was supposed to be the older, more mature one here," Sarah notes.

"Yeah, but sometimes, us younger people can be wise too," Grace says with a wink.

"Did you just call me old?" Sarah deadpans.

"No, but you are technically a year older than me, so..." Grace trails off.

Sarah actually laughs a bit, feeling better now, "Thanks, Grace. I really needed that," she thanks her.

"Hey, that's what friends are for. How about getting a little late night snack to help cheer you up?" Grace suggests.

"That sounds like a good idea," Sarah agrees.

The pair get up and head for the door. However, when they open it, Colt and Rickie suddenly fall through onto the floor, while Sky walks up and shakes his head.

"What are you idiots doing here?!" Grace yells, hands on her hips.

"Well, we heard what sounded like Sarah screaming, so we thought we'd check it out to see if she was okay, and, well..." Colt trails off.

"And you eavesdropped on us! I can't believe you. What about you, Rickie? What's your excuse?" Sarah asks.

"Well, um, pretty much the same thing... It was his idea," Rickie throughs Colt to the wolves.

"Gee, thanks a lot, man," Colt mutters, rolling his eyes.

"Ans what about you, Sky?" Grace demands.

"Just got here," Sky replies, looking like he always does: stoic and silent.

Sarah sighs, "Well, you guys can beat it while Grace and I have some girl time to ourselves," she says before the two girls leave.

"They're not going to let us live this down, aren't they?" Rickie asks.

"Nope," Colt shakes his head.

…

The next day, the group unload their zoids, the Geno Ritter, and what they found from the dig site off of the Whale King and into the facility, where large carts take them to separate wings of the infrastructure. The Geno Saurer, the Geno Ritter, and the other crates they found are confined in one area for research and for preparations. After a while, Sarah and her teammates are allowed entry to check to see how things are coming along. They find Sarah in front of a console, with both the Geno Saurer and the Geno Ritter in front of her.

"Sarah, how's it coming along?" Sarah asks.

Sarah keeps her eyes on the console, "So far, everything seems to be going smoothly. However, before we can begin the process of downloading the Geno Ritter's memories into the Geno Saurer, we have a few things to take care of first," Sarah says.

"Like what?" Rickie asks.

"The Chief informed me about the NBG targeting your team, specifically Sarah and the Geno Ritter, and I know that the Geno Scissors is stronger than the Geno Ritter. If all we do is merely transfer your partner from one body to another, then it would end up being a wasted effort. The Geno Ritter is stronger than the Geno Saurer, so it wouldn't stand a chance against him. So, before we begin our main objective, we're first going to transfer the Z-Link system from the Geno Ritter to the Geno Saurer. After that, we can begin modifying the body and improving its capabilities," Sarah explains.

"Improve how?" Grace asks.

"Those other crates that we uncovered actually contain experimental equipment for the Geno Saurer, designed to make it stronger. We'll first transfer the Z-Link system to the new body, then upgrade it with those parts, and then we can finish it up with the Geno Ritter's downloaded memories. After that, we'll try and start it up and see if our efforts bear fruit. However, I must warn you, this is something that's never been done before, so there's no guarantee that it will work. I'll do all I can, but I make no promises," Sarah explains.

Sarah takes a long look at her fallen partner, "Please, just do whatever you can. I want my partner back, and I'm willing to take the chance if there's a possibility that it will work. Do it," she says.

Sarah stares at her for a moment before she nods, "Very well. This will take a while, however, during which time you all will not be allowed near this area," she says.

"What? Why not?" Rickie whines.

"Because I need to focus on my work for something this complicated, and you all will distract me. And because if I do succeed, I want my finished work to be a surprise. So, off you go," Sarah says.

After basically being kicked out of the area, the team leave to take a look around the facility. They return to the hanger, finding a few white Command Wolves in the zoid hanger on standby, probably for the soldiers there. Rickie, of course, goes off to check them out while Sky slowly follows to keep him out of trouble, Colt goes to talk to some of his fellow co-workers, and Grace went off somewhere else to get something to eat, leaving Sarah to wander the facility by herself. However, she wouldn't be alone for long.

"Hey, found you," she hears and looks to the side to see Vega walking up to her. "I knew I'd find you eventually," he greets her.

"Vega, what is it?" Sarah asks.

"Come with me. There's someone I want to introduce you to," Vega says and begins walking off somewhere.

Curious by what he said, Sarah follows him around while Vega walks around to who knows where. After a few minutes of walking, the pair come to a large set of doors, with two guards standing on the sides of the massive door. Vega nods to them, and one hits some buttons on a console and the doors then open. When they fully open, Sarah gasps at what lays before her.

"Say hello to my friend, Berserk Fury," Vega says, smiling.

Indeed. Standing before Sarah is the Berserk Fury, one of only two known Ultimate X zoids to exist in the world.

"Incredible," Sarah mutters in awe.

To think that she would actually be in the presence of one of the most powerful zoids in existence. The Berserk Fury's eyes light up and it roars into the air as they approach.

"Hey there, Fury. Glad to see you're doing well and you're wide awake," Vega greets his partner, who growls back in response. "I know, but listen we have a guest, so I want you to say hi. This is Sarah," Vega introduces Sarah as she walks up to stand beside him.

Sarah continues to remain in awe as she stares at the Berserk Fury. The Berserk Fury stares back at her, and then roars at her.

Sarah starts to get nervous, "Um, did I do something to piss him off?" she asks.

"No, I think it's because it sensed the Geno Ritter from you. I think he's angry because he wanted to fight him, but doesn't have the chance right now," Vega suggests.

"I'm... sorry about that," Sarah glances down in sadness.

"You're not listening to me," Vega says, getting her attention. "Berserk Fury wants to fight your partner. With how strong he's become, most opponents these days don't give him a good enough fight. The only one that can really give him a good fight these days is Bit Cloud and his Liger Zero. So, for him to want to fight you guys, it means he thinks you're strong. That's a heck of a compliment if I ever heard one," Vega explains.

Sarah looks between Vega and his partner, as both stare at her. To hear that the Berserk Fury considers her and the Geno Ritter as a possible worthy opponent, it might as well be getting a compliment from Bit Cloud himself. That fact alone is enough to make Sarah smile a bit.

"If this plan works, then Geno will be back, and we can have our fight if you want to," Sarah says.

"Sweet, I can't wait to fight you guys," Vega cheers.

"I'm afraid you may have to wait a bit," Sarah shoots him down.

"Ah, why not?" Vega asks.

"Believe me, I would love to fight you and the Berserk Fury, but... I'm not ready for that yet. The fact that Geno got destroyed is proof that I'm not the zoid warrior I need to be to face someone like you. I want to give you guys a fight worthy of your praise, and to do that I need to become stronger. I want to earn the right to face you in battle. So please, after Geno comes back and we're a team again, let me work my way up the ranks. Once I get into class A with my team, and we prove ourselves against the best of the best in that class, then you and I can fight. Only then, can I promise you that you'll get a fight as good as when you battled against Bit Cloud and his Liger Zero," Sarah explains.

"...Okay, but don't take too long. I'm not too good with waiting," Vega says, while his partner roars in agreement.

Sarah giggles a bit, "Well, you'll have to for now," she says.

After saying her goodbyes to the pair, Sarah heads back to look for her teammates, needing something to help her pass the time. It will still be a while before her partner returns, and who knows exactly how long that 'while' will be. Reaching her Gustav, she finds her teammates nowhere to be found, and decides to check her zoid gear for more information on that missing boy, Hunter Krato.

"What did the NBG do to you... Hunter Krato?" Sarah wonders.

Meanwhile, Sarah continues to work on the modification of the Geno Ritter, now having multiple large machines laid out around the Geno Saurer's body, along with the crates opened up on the tops of them to get to the gear inside.

"Alright, now let's see what we can make here. We'll start with removing the Geno Saurer's original parts for the new ones, and then the modifications and tune-ups, finishing it up with bringing the Geno Ritter's memories into the mix. Let's hope this works. Alright, let's get this show on the road!" Sarah calls out to the multiple workers around her, who nod and begin moving.

The machines start pulling off the Geno Saurer's weapons and armor, leaving only the inner frame from within. Sarah looks on as the team gets to work.

"All we can do is hope at this point," Sarah mutters.

…

"You did well in destroying the Geno Ritter the first time. However, we've discovered the location of the Lockhart Team thanks to some intel we received. They are at a ZBC facility under heavy guard. There's a high probability that Vega Obscura and the Berserk Fury are also at this location. Under no circumstances are you to engage them. Even with the Z-Link system, you're no match for an Ultimate X. That is why we will be sending a large attack force to distract them while you go for our main target. The Geno Ritter may have been destroyed, but now you need to make sure it stays that way. Infiltrate the facility, and destroy Sarah Lockhart and whatever they are using there to rebuild the Geno Ritter," a middle-aged man with a grayish-black beard and brown eyes says to the pilot of the Geno Scissors.

"Understood... The rest will fall this time," the pilot says, focusing on an image of Sarah Lockhart.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah's quest to rebuild the Geno Ritter are well underway, but it seems there are other planes in motion aside from those of Team Lockhart. We also finally get to meet the Berserk Fury, one of the Ultimate X zoids. Will the Geno Ritter be restored? Who knows what will happen next? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	24. Chapter 24: Blade Storm

**Here we are at Chapter 24. Time to see if the Geno Ritter can be brought back to life, or if he is gone forever. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 24. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 24: Blade Storm**

"How is Geno's operation coming along?" Sarah asks Sarah.

The two women are walking through the compound, seeing as that the area was closed off to Sarah and her team for the time being until the repairs are completed.

"The repairs on the body, along with the upgrades, are coming along. Once the body has been completed, we can then insert the memory chip of the Geno Ritter into the new body and download his memories. After that, the rest will have to be left up to fate. I can't say for certain that your partner's body will wake up, or that it'll be the Geno Ritter inside it. There is no precedent for something like this. I want you to be aware of that," Sarah explains.

"I understand, but if there's even a small chance of bringing Geno back, then I have to take it," Sarah replies.

"As long as you're aware. The operation should be finished by tomorrow. I'll then install the memory chip myself... No offense to the battle commission, but when it comes to handling delicate work like this, their people still have a lot to learn," Sarah says, making the younger Sarah laugh a bit.

"Well, thanks again. I'd better go check on my team. Make sure Colt and Rickie haven't broken anything yet," Sarah says and heads off to another part of the compound.

"As long as you keep that idiot Colt away from my work, I'll be grateful," Sarah calls out before heading back to work on the Geno Saurer.

Sarah walks around, looking for any of her teammates. After a few minutes of searching, the first one she finds is Sky outside the building, staring off into the distance with his arms crossed.

"Hey, Sky," she calls out, getting his attention as she walks up to stand next to him. "What are you looking at?" she asks.

"Desert," Sky replies dryly.

Sarah stares flatly at him, "Yeah, I can see that, genius. You could try and be a little more of a conversationalist like your brother, you know," she notes.

"No point," Sky replies.

If Sarah ever gets him to speak a complete sentence, it'll be a miracle.

Sarah sighs, "If you don't mind me asking, why did you become a zoid warrior? You don't strike me as the type who would do it for the money. I'm curious," she asks. For what felt like hours, Sky says nothing, only staring out into the empty expanse past the steel fence in front of them. Soon enough, Sarah feels like she won't get an answer, and turns around to leave. "Fine, sorry I asked," she says and starts walking away.

But, surprisingly, Sky speaks again to stop her, "To settle a score," he says cryptically.

"A score? With who?" Sarah asks.

"Someone who hasn't earned his wings," Sky replies.

Sarah wants to ask more, but she gets a feeling from Sky that tells her that he's done talking. What's more, their conversation ends short when sudden explosions ring out beyond the fence.

"What the Hell?!" Sarah mutters.

Sirens go off as a large number of black Command Wolves, followed by several gray Red Horns break through the smoke, charging straight at the base.

"The NBG," Sky notes.

"Crap, how'd they find us?! I got to get to Geno. Sky, get to your zoid and tear them up from the skies," Sarah says and runs back into the compound, while Sky runs to the hanger.

The attack takes everyone by surprise as the NBG forces attack the base, firing off their weapons as they get closer. There are a few battle commission Command Wolves already out, blasting away with their laser cannons, but they are overwhelmed by the numbers of the enemy and are quickly taken out. However, the NBG forces make a sudden stop when the Berserk Fury suddenly lands in between them and the base.

"It's about time. I was getting bored here. Let's see what they're made of, Berserk Fury," Vega says, and his partner roars with him.

The black Command Wolves fire off their guns, but the Berserk Fury activates its shields to block their attack. It lowers the shield and engages its thrusters, flying forth while firing off the laser guns in its sub-arms. The lasers take out a few Command Wolves easily, and then the Berserk Fury drills through two of them with the blades on its sub-arms. The Berserk Fury roars as more of the enemy's forces move to fight against it. Back inside the base, Grace and Colt run towards the hanger to get to their zoids. They meet up with Sarah along the way.

"Sarah, what's going on?" Grace asks.

"It's the NBG. They're attacking the base!" Sarah replies.

"What? How did they know we were here?" Colt asks.

"I don't know, but I got to get to Geno," Sarah says and makes a move before Colt grabs her arm. "What are you doing?"

"Look, you can't do anything to protect Geno by yourself. I know that the reconstruction process isn't finished. What we need to do is buy Sarah time so she can finish and get Geno back into action. Come with us to the hanger and grab whatever zoid you can find. Take that and guard Geno until Sarah is finished. We'll head out and buy you guys as much time as we can," Colt explains.

Sarah didn't exactly like the idea of piloting another zoid other than Geno, but Colt has a point. What can she do all by herself right now? A little reluctantly, Sarah nods, and the three move to the hanger.

"Again, how did they know we were here, or what we could possibly be doing?" Grace asks.

Colt just looks ahead, "I have a few ideas..." he mutters.

They reach the hanger, just in time to see Sky's Pteramander take off into the sky for air support. Colt and Grace race to their zoids, while Sarah spots a Command Wolf in the back and goes with that one. With everyone at the base going all over the place, no one notices her get into the cockpit and start the zoid up. Colt and Grace's zoids start to move, followed by a few more Command Wolves on their side. Sarah gets her zoid up and moving, and heads in the opposite direction in order to protect her partner. Outside, the Bravejaguar and the Spinosapper quickly get into the thick of it, with the Spinosapper firing off its missile launchers at the approaching enemies, taking out a couple of them while the rest manage to evade the attack. Two Command Wolves get in close and fire their cannons, but the Spinosapper uses its chainsaws to block the incoming fire. One zoid uses the chance to jump at Grace's zoid, hoping to clamp its jaws down on the cockpit, but Grace sees it coming and maneuvers around to bite down on the enemy zoid's neck, crushing it and biting the head off. Meanwhile, the Bravejaguar jumps into the air with its claws glowing, striking through the left limbs of another Command Wolf. However, it jumps back to avoid getting hit by an attack from one of the Red Horns.

"These guys are everywhere," Colt mutters.

However, the Red Horn suddenly gets knocked to the side by a flying Command Wolf. Colt looks over to see the Berserk Fury, surrounded by scores of destroyed zoids around it, while it doesn't have a scratch on it.

"Come on, at least try and make this more fun," Vega says, while his partner roars at the enemy.

"Guess they don't need any help," Colt flatly notes.

Up in the sky, the Pteramander flies high, firing off its long-range laser cannons at the incoming enemies, taking out a few Red Horns. Sky looks above when a shadow flies over him and sees a squad of Zabats flying in, firing off their guns at him.

"How annoying," Sky mutters.

The Pteramander quickly spins and flies down to evade the attack, with the Zabats hot on its tail. Sky pulls back the controls, causing the Pteramander to stop in mid-air and swing back as the Zabats fly in, grabbing on in its legs' claws, and then lighting it up with the flamethrower before dropping it to the ground below. The Zabats fly around and get a few shots off, dealing a few hitting its unprotected back. The Pteramander roars and starts moving again, with the Zabats in pursuit. Back on the ground, Sarah pilots her Command Wolf to the area where the Geno is located, still behind the large curtains and crates blocking entrance. Sarah looks around, seeing no signs of damage to the immediate area, nor any signs of the enemy.

Sarah sighs, "Good, it looks like they haven't made it this far," she notes.

Just then, an explosion rings out, leaving a large hole in one nearby wall. A few seconds later, Sarah's worst hope shows up in the form of the Geno Scissors.

"It's him," Sarah mutters.

The Geno Scissors walks in and roars at its only obstacle to its objective. Off to the side, Sarah sees the two zoids about to clash.

"Damn it, I'm not finished yet. I need to hurry," Sarah says and double times it on finishing up the new Geno Ritter.

"I knew it was you... You won't escape this time..." the pilot of the Geno Scissors darkly.

"I wasn't planning on it," Sarah replies.

"Then die," the pilot says.

The Geno Scissors fires off its laser cannons. Sarah has her Command Wolf grab a nearby empty crate in its jaws and throws it into the path of the attack, blocking it in a fiery explosion. Her Command Wolf races towards the Geno Scissors, firing off its cannons. The Geno Scissors blocks with its shields, and then swings its tail around at her. The Command Wold jumps over the swing and lands to the side.

"Tell me, are you Hunter Krato?" Sarah calls out. It was only for a short moment, but Sarah saw him hesitate. "If you are, then why are you helping the NBG?" she asks.

"You talk too much," the pilots says.

The Geno Scissors lashes out with its blades. The Command Wolf uses its greater mobility to evade them, but the Geno Scissors starts using its blades along with its laser cannons, eventually forcing it into a corner. It makes another swing of its blades, and the Command Wolf ducks low, dodging it but losing its laser cannons in the process, leaving it without any real weapons on it.

"This isn't looking good," Sarah mutters.

Back outside, Sky fires off his missiles, taking out the rest of the of the Zabats and securing the skies above the battlefield.

"Report your status," Sky communicates with his teammates.

"Oh, I'm just peachy!" Colt yells as he races across the battlefield, evading the incoming fire of a few Command Wolves.

"I could use a little help here!" Grace shouts out.

Her Spinosapper shows signs of damage across its body, and has a few sparks showing. Around her are several destroyed black Command Wolves and a Red Horn to boot. However, her zoid is reaching its limits, and now two more Red Horns join the fray. Grace curses herself for being in this situation, but luck comes her way when a few shots ring out, taking out both enemy zoids. Grace looks over, finding the Berserk Fury nearby.

"Ha-ha, looks like I showed up just in the nick of time," she hears Vega over the comms.

"Thanks for the save, but what about-," Grace begins, but then sees the trail of destroyed zoids behind Vega's. "Never mind. I owe you one," she thanks him.

The Berserk Fury turns its attention to the Command Wolves firing at the Bravejaguar and gets ready to fire its charged particle cannon. Soon enough, it fires, taking out the Command Wolves, leaving nothing behind in its wake.

"Whew, thanks for the help!" Colt calls out.

The Bravejaguar has suffered some damage, but is still moving. The Berserk Fury then turns around to see enemy reinforcements coming in, comprised mainly of several black Zaber Fangs.

"Looks like dessert has arrived, Fury," Vega notes, and his partner roars in agreement.

Back inside, Sarah waits for the Geno Scissors to make its next move. The Geno Scissors makes its next move soon enough as it lunges at her Command Wolf. Sarah has her zoid jump to the side to escape the lunge, but the Geno Scissors fires off one its claws, grabbing one of her zoid's rear legs and releasing an electric shock through the zoid and her. Sarah screams in pain as her zoid gets blasted by the Geno's laser cannons, causing the Command Wolf to fall and its cockpit glass to shatter. Sarah falls out of the cockpit, injured from the exchange. Off near where Geno is, Sarah frantically hurries to finish her work.

"Come on, come on!" she mutters, typing away on the console.

Sarah manages to get onto one knee while the Geno Scissors looms over her.

"You've lost... The hunt is over..." the pilot says.

"Answer my question: are you Hunter Krato?" Sarah calls out. Sarah then notices that the zoid doesn't move, only having its eyes glow and dim several times in an uncommon pattern. "Well, who are you?" Sarah yells.

"It does matter. You won't live long enough to know," the pilot says.

The Geno Scissors turns its attention to where Geno is supposed to be, and activates its charged particle cannon, aiming it right at Sarah's partner.

Sarah turns around and runs towards him, "Geno!" she shouts, reaching out towards him.

The Geno Scissors fires its charged particle cannon, leaving everything before it in flames. The explosion knocks Sarah to the ground, and she looks on in horror at the thought that she just lost her partner again, for good... However, suddenly, several energy shots fly out of the flames and nail the Geno Scissors, making it stagger back. Sarah looks between them, and then sees a large mass slowly walk through the flames. Sarah's horror and fear turns into shock, relief, and awe at what stands before her. The Geno Saurer she found has gleaming white armor, with blue painting the once purple section of the inner body. The head no longer has the small laser gun on it, but instead has a short, curved red blade on its nose, similar to the one the Geno Ritter had, and four small horns curved around its eyes (like Shadow's head from Chaotic Century). On its back is a large thruster unit (like the Geno Breaker's), along with four sub-arms, each equipped with a white blade with a blue edge. On the back on each blade is a small laser cannon for ranged combat. The armor around the arms and legs is a little more stream-lined and aerodynamic. Also, on the sides of the legs are a pair of additional thrusters. Its red eyes glow bright and the zoid roars to the skies. It turns its attention to the Geno Scissors and then to Sarah.

"Is that you... Geno?" Sarah mutters, stunned.

The Geno Scissors fires its guns at Sarah, who covers her head from the attack. However, the attack never hits and Sarah opens her eyes to see that the attacks were blocked by the new zoid with an energy shield.

"Impossible," the pilot mutters.

The new zoid looks down to Sarah, leaning its head close to her.

"Geno... Is that you?" Sarah mutters, hopeful. The zoid gets close enough and she pets its nose, hearing a very familiar purr-like growl from the zoid. That answers her question. "Geno... you're back," Sarah cries as tears of joy fall down her cheeks.

The Geno Scissors attacks again, but the energy shield blocks its attacks. This gets Sarah's focus back into the game.

"Alright, Geno, let's finish this," Sarah says.

The new Geno opens up its cockpit, and Sarah hops inside, strapping in and taking the controls. The screen lights up, showing schematics of the new zoid. The new Geno roars as it gets ready to fight its nemesis.

"How is it alive?" the pilot says.

Sarah then gets a call over the comms, "Sarah, you alright in there," it was the other Sarah.

"Sarah, you did it. You brought Geno back!" Sarah cheers.

"I made it just in the nick of time. Now take that bastard out," Sarah says.

"With pleasure. Alright, Geno, let's take this outside," Sarah says.

Geno roars and engages its thrusters, blasting it at the Geno Scissors, crashing into it and taking it through the wall. Geno continues to smash the Geno Scissors through wall after wall until finally they smash through to the outside. The remaining combatants outside turn their attention to the new arrivals.

"Whoa, what the Hell is that?!" Colt yells.

"Is that... Geno?" Grace questions.

Sarah has Geno attack with all four of his new blades, slashing away at the Geno Scissors. The Geno scissors tries to counter with its own blades, but its two blades get blocked by two of Geno's giving its other two blades a chance to slice the Geno Scissors' sub-arms off. Geno then fires off its four laser guns, dealing more damage to the Geno Scissors. It then swings its tail around to knock the Geno Scissors back, almost knocking it to the ground.

"Just give up. You can't beat Geno now that he's stronger," Sarah calls out.

"Can't... give up...," the pilot says.

"Why? Why fight for the NBG. What is it they're after?" Sarah asks.

"...To return to the ways of old... to the ways long ago with zoids..." the pilot says.

Suddenly, more explosions ring out all around the battlefield, forcing the new Geno to use its shield to block them while the others take cover. When the dust settles, they all look up to see a gray Whale King hovering over the base. Cables with hooks come down and grab onto the damaged Geno Scissors, along with the few remaining NBG zoids that survived the battle. Sarah watches as the enemy gets pulled back into the underbelly of the Whale King. However, she zooms in on the opened mouth of the flying zoid, seeing a middle-aged man with a brown beard and short brown hair with a gray streak on the sides standing there, wearing a black trench coat, looking down straight at her.

"Very impressive... Team Lockhart..." she hears over the comms and realizes it's the man in the Whale King.

"Who are you? Are you in charge of the NBG?" Sarah questions him.

"You still think it's that simple. In respect of your achievements, I'll give you a little treat. We are not the Neo Backdraft Group; that was just a ploy that has run its course. We are Nexus," the man replies.

"Why are you doing this? Why attack the ZBC?" Sarah asks.

"The Zoid Battle Commission has taken zoid battles away from their true nature, turning it into a sport, when zoids were created as weapons of war. They disrespect their lineage. The world has gone soft, and needs to be reminded of the order of things. That is Nexus' mission, and you cannot stop it. Next time, we won't be so merciful," the man says.

The Whale King takes off into the sky and quickly leaves the area. The ZBC would pursue, but after suffering heavy damage to the base and their forces, they can't afford to. Any Nexus survivors still at the base quickly kill themselves to prevent intel leaks. After things calm down, the members of Team Lockhart regroup outside the base perimeter.

"I can't believe we managed to survive this fiasco," Grace notes.

"Good thing we had the King and the Berserk Fury here. My guess is that they knew he was here and sent such a large force, not to kill him, but to keep him busy. Though, that didn't work out too well for them," Colt adds, crossing his arms.

"We can talk about all that later. Right now..." Sarah says and looks up to her partner. "I'm just glad Geno's back," she says, smiling.

"He's even stronger now too," they hear and look over to see Sarah and Vega join them. "You gave me the time I needed to finish the setup. It was a gamble, but one that paid off immensely," Sarah says.

"Yeah. He looks way cooler now. So this is the new Geno Ritter, huh," Grace notes.

"Actually, I think it could use a new name. I didn't come up with one though. I believe that honor goes to you, Sarah Lockhart," Sarah says.

Sarah looks back to her partner and starts thinking, "Hmm... how about... Storm-blade. Geno Storm-blade," Sarah suggests.

"Ah, I can see that. The blades and the colors match perfectly with that. I like it," Colt says.

"Yeah, that name sounds cool," Grace agrees.

"Welcome back, Geno Storm-blade," Sarah says, and her partner roars into the skies, ready to get back into the action.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah's partner returns, renamed the Geno Storm-blade. I got some ideas for the new design from pictures of the Berserk Fury shadow edge, and used it as a reference. Though the blades are different in design from the original. Anyway, Sarah's partner is back, but the NBG reveal their true name and intentions, although cryptically. What does this mean for Sarah and her friends? And is the pilot of the Geno Scissors truly Hunter Krato? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	25. Chapter 25: Back in the Game

**Here we are at Chapter 25. Now that the new Geno Storm-blade is in action, time for Team Lockhart to get back in the game. But many questions are still left unanswered for them. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 25. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Back in the Game**

Team Lockhart look around as the ZBC workers move all over the place, trying to clean up the massive mess and destruction left in the wake of the previous battle.

"Man, this is a mess. I hope these guys are getting hazard pay," Grace notes.

"We got lucky here, but only because of Sarah and Vega Obscura. Things would've been quite different if otherwise," Colt notes.

"Hey guys, how ya doing?" they hear Rickie shout out as he and his older brother join them.

"Us? Where the Hell have you've been?" Grace asks, hands on her hips.

"Hiding from the chaos," Rickie replies, nonchalant, while Grace just stares at him. "What, I'm not a zoid warrior, and besides, I'm not crazy enough to jump into the middle of this mess," he defends himself.

"Not the first time," Sky notes.

"Hey!" Rickie retorts.

The others laugh a bit, "Well, anyway, at least we're all okay, though most of our zoids need repairs," Sarah says, looking at her teammates' zoids. Grace and Colt's zoids need quite a few repairs. Sky's zoid has some damage to the armor, but not as badly as the other two. "This is going to cost us big, and we haven't been in a zoid battle in a while," Sarah says.

"I wonder how often we'll get to fight in zoid battles like we used to, now that the NBG has made such a bold move against us," Grace says.

"They're not the NBG," Sarah says, getting their attention. "During the battle, when that Whale King showed up, I saw a man standing in its mouth, and I heard him say over the comms that their real name is Nexus. NBG is just a front, just like Pierce and Stoller originally thought. He also said something else that's far from the Backdraft Group. He said that zoids are made and meant to be used as weapons for war. That the ZBC has taken that purity of battle away from zoid battles and turned it into a game. That's why they're doing this. He said that the world has gone soft, and that they're going to change that," Sarah explains.

The others think upon what she just told them, "You think that guy was the leader of this 'Nexus'?" Grace asks.

"Could be," Sky says.

"They've never been this bold before. Maybe they've finally taken the gloves off, or maybe they got bold after making this attack here," Colt suggests.

"How did they know about this place, or what we were doing here? We're not exactly broadcasting our secret mission here," Rickie asks.

"I have a theory about that. I don't want to think about it, but it's the only plausible explanation. When the enemy knows too much, it can only mean one thing... a traitor," Colt declares, surprising the group a bit.

"You think... someone in the ZBC has betrayed us?" Sarah asks.

"Or that they were a Nexus spy that was planted here a while back and started leaking intel to them. We don't know how far their reach goes. It's the only explanation I can think of that makes sense," Colt explains.

"But who then?" Sarah asks.

"Not many people know about this little operation, so the number of suspects isn't that high. No one from the old Backdraft Group would do this, I know that for a fact. Besides, it would be too obvious for it to be one of them. My father always said that obvious isn't always the answer. That leaves us, the ZBC chief, 1st Lieutenant, a few others, and the soldiers that were here guarding the place. I know it isn't the chief. His heart has always been in it for the zoid battles of today. He would never betray that. Of course, none of us are the traitors, so that narrows the list even further," Colt theorizes.

"You think it's the 1st Lt.?" Rickie asks.

"I don't think so. Roderick has been in the ZBC for a long time. I can't see him being the bad guy here," Colt says.

"Well, who then?" Sarah asks.

"I just... don't know. What I do know is that we have to be careful from now on, and keep an eye out on anyone suspicious," Colt says, and the group nod in agreement.

After having their little huddle, the team meet with Sarah and Vega, telling them what they learned. However, it seems Sarah herself has something to show them as well.

"What do you mean you have something to show us?" Colt asks.

"Come with me," Sarah says. They follow her to the security station inside the base, and she turns on one of the monitors, showing the area where the Geno Ritter was being upgraded.

"Isn't that where Geno was being fixed?" Grace asks.

"Yes, but these cameras picked something up during the battle earlier. Here, let me show you," Sarah says, and plays the video back and stops at one point during the battle between Sarah and the Geno Scissors. "I noticed something odd and played it back, and this is what I found," she says, playing the video, showing the Geno Scissors' eyes glowing and dimming several times in a weird way.

"So what, the zoid's eyes are having problems?" Rickie asks.

"Wait, I think that's morse code," Colt realizes.

"Agreed. I had someone decipher it and the message reads as this: 'Hunter Krato... no choice... spy in ranks... stop Kaiser...'. And that's it," Sarah explains.

"So, our hunch is right. There is a spy in the ZBC that's working for Nexus," Grace notes.

"Not just that. But now I know that the pilot of the Geno Scissors really is Hunter Krato," Sarah says.

"Hunter Krato?" Colt asks.

"I've been doing some digging of my own, trying to figure out who the pilot of the Geno Scissors could be. I found this one article about a boy that went missing years ago named Hunter Krato. I don't know, something just felt clear about him being the pilot. He went missing after an attack by an unknown source. Now I know," Sarah says.

"But what does 'no choice' mean?" Rickie asks.

"Force to fight," Sky figures out.

"...They've even kidnapped people and are forcing them to fight for the Nexus? That's low in so many ways," Colt voices the group's disgust.

"When I was with the Backdraft Group, I had Vega fight, but I never forced him to do anything. When he fought in zoid battles, he did it of his own free will. No one forced him to, and I wouldn't let anyone force him either," Sarah says.

"So, what does that mean for us? I mean, this kid tried to kill us, and he even hurt Geno that one time? Do we just forget about that?" Grace asks.

"No. We can't forget that, but we can't forget that now we know that he was forced to. If he wanted. He could've escaped when he got his zoid, but didn't, so there must be something keeping him on their lease. That must be why he sent that morse code to us, to communicate without tipping them off. I'll bet it was risky though," Sarah explains.

"So, what, they have some kind of mind control going on?" Rickie asks.

"Or booby-trapped," Sky suggests.

"I think Sky might be on to something. This Nexus may have rigged his zoid to explode should he try to escape or do something they don't want. They may have something for when he's not piloting a zoid also," Sarah says.

"Okay, then what? Why find a way to save him?" Grace asks.

"I'd like to try to learn more about him. If possible, then yes, I'd like to save him. From what I can see, the one's leading Nexus don't seem to care about their subordinates. The foot-soldiers that kill themselves to prevent intel leaks may do so either from fierce loyalty to their cause, or because they're afraid of what their leaders would do to them should they find out they betrayed them. Either way, it's all rather ruthless. Even the Backdraft Group wasn't that bad, from what I've been told," Sarah says.

"Alright, then we find their hideout, look for their spy, save the psycho that's been trying to kill us, not that I'm fond of that last part, and save the day. What could possibly go wrong?" Rickie notes with a goofy smile, but then everyone glares at him. "What?"

"Well, we'll figure out the 'save the day' part another time. As for the spy, you guys can leave that to me," Sarah says as she finishes her work.

"Okay, but then what will we do?" Colt asks.

"Well, you are still a zoid warrior team, and a well-known one at that. I suggest continue your journey, participating in zoid battles, and travelling. One suggestion is going to Hunter Krato's old village to find out more about him there, and what exactly happened to his family. I'll look for that information and send it to you," Sarah says.

"Okay, but what about when Nexus shows up again?" Grace asks.

"Well, with the Geno Storm-blade, you guys will have a better chance of dealing with them. Plus, you've all been getting stronger in battle, even against the Nexus. I'm not too worried about your team," Sarah says.

"Okay then. Once all of our zoids are fixed up, we'll head on our way then. Sound like a plan, guys?" Sarah asks her team.

"If Sarah is cool with it, then so am I," Grace nods.

"I'm down," Colt agrees.

"Same here," Rickie adds, while his brother just nods his head.

"Then it's a plan," Sarah says.

…

"The Geno Scissors has been extensively damaged, and what's worse, you failed to completely destroy the Geno Ritter and Team Lockhart. Yes, the Berserk Fury prevented our forces from helping you, but even that shouldn't have been much of a problem," the man with the beard says. He walks around the pilot of the Geno Scissors, a young man with tanned skin and black hair running slightly past his shoulders, who is sitting in a chair, although his wrists and ankles are cuffed to the chair. He is wearing a black leather suit with boots and a gray zipper on the front. "And because of that, they still have one of the only two zoids in existence with a working Z-link system. This will set us back a bit. Plus, we don't know if they figured out that we have a spy in the ZBC's ranks, but if they do, it's only a matter of time before they find them. You failed in your mission," the man says, and holds up a remote in his hand, pressing a button on it.

Suddenly, electric currents flood the man's body, causing him to grit his teeth, close his eyes, and silently curse in pain for a few seconds before the older man stops the surge. The boy takes a few ragged breaths from the pain.

"However, despite that, that fact remains that you are the only one we have that is compatible with the Z-link system. All the other candidates died from the tests with the system. How Sarah Lockhart came to be compatible is unknown, though it doesn't matter much," he says, and hits the switch again, causing the boy more suffering for a few more seconds before he stops. "Now the ZBC will be more prepared for our troops. However, they still don't know the full extent of our reach, and we've come too far to stop now. The goal of Nexus must be realized. Luckily, we've managed to obtain enough data on the Z-link system that we can remove it from the Geno Scissors and implant it into something else, something strong enough to deal with the reborn Geno Ritter. For now, you will remain on standby. Don't expect me to be so merciful should you fail again," the man says, emphasizing his point by shocking the boy again for a little longer this time.

The boy grits his teeth through the pain again until finally the older man lets up.

"Take him back to his quarters," the man says. Two other men wearing black uniforms and wearing helmets that cover the upper half of their skulls and faces walk in and retrieve the boy after he is released from the seat, almost dragging him out as he barely has the strength to stand up. "And inform the others to engage in phase two of the plan. It's time to kick things up a notch," he says, and one of the soldiers nods in reply before the three of them leave. "We must act swiftly if we are to restore this land to its former glory. This fragile peace is only a child's dream, and it's time for everyone to wake up to reality," the man says.

…

A couple days go by before everything at the base are back to full operation, including the zoids of Team Lockhart getting all the repairs that they needed. With all of that done, the team are outside the base, loading up their supplies and their zoids on their Gustavs, preparing to continue on their journey. Currently, Sarah is talking with Vega.

"So, you guys heading out?" Vega asks.

"Yeah, we can't stay here forever. Besides, we still have zoid battles to take care of. I may be helping you guys out, but I still have my own goals to complete, and I can't do that being stuck here," Sarah says.

"That's too bad. With you guys around, things were actually pretty interesting around here. Now it's gonna get boring again," Vega pouts a bit like a child (even though he is one).

"Well, I'm sure we'll bump into each other down the road. You guys just be careful on your end, and we'll be careful on ours," Sarah says.

"Yeah, but don't forget, you still owe me a zoid battle, and one of these days, we're gonna have it. Fury is itching to duke it out with your new partner," Vega notes.

"I'll need to get my class rank up first. And master Geno's new strength. But, yeah, someday," Sarah says.

Suddenly out of nowhere, Grace comes in a traps Vega in a big hug, lifting him off of his feet.

"And I still owe you one for saving my back the other day. But don't worry, I promise I'll repay my debt. A girl always keeps her word," Grace says.

"Hey, put me down! I'm not a little kid!" Vega yells as he tries to break free.

"Aw, you're so cute when you try to act tough. I always wanted a baby brother!" Grace coos, but then shows him some mercy and lets him down. "But fine. Anyway, thanks again for helping Colt and I in that battle. Hope to see you again soon. Come on, Sarah, we're all loaded up and ready to head out," Grace says and walks back to the others.

"Ugh, I hate it when people do that to me," Vega complains.

Sarah giggles a bit, "Just be glad she's merciful. Well, take care of yourself, Vega," she says, holding out a hand for him.

Vega eventually smiles and shakes her hand, "Sure thing. Come back stronger, okay," he says.

With that said, Sarah leaves to join with her team, and they leave the base, heading back out onto the open road. Sky and Rickie are in Colt's Gustav, while Grace is still in Sarah's like usual.

"So, what's the plan again exactly?" Grace asks.

"We find out what Nexus is planning next, and we look for info about Hunter Krato. For the second one, we'll head to his hometown and start gathering info there. Sarah sent me the details on its location. The name of the place is Kuze Town, but it's a great distance from here. So, along the way, we'll have another zoid battle. We've been out of action for a few days and people might be getting suspicious. I want to make Geno's grand debut in his new body. Plus, I've been missing a good battle where our loves aren't on the line," Sarah explains.

The boys come on over the comms, "Don't forget the prize money. Luckily, the ZBC covered the costs for our zoid repairs after the last battle, but they won't pay for everything. We need to rake in some more cash," Colt says.

"Yeah, I want to smell that money baby!" Rickie cheers.

"Enough," Sky tells his younger brother to cool it.

"This Nexus wants zoid battles where death is involved to return, that the zoid battles of today are a sham of what they once were. But if you ask me, I prefer the new way. We don't have to worry about dying, so we can fight to our heart's content. There are many zoid pilots out there that feel the same way. We have to stop them," She mutters.

"Don't forget about our own goals. We were just a regular zoid team before all of this happened. I still need to show people that my Spinosapper can be an awesome zoid for zoid battles, not just for mining work," Grace says.

"Hey, don't forget about us. We have our goals too," Colt says.

Grace waves her hand, "Yeah, yeah, whatever," she blows him off.

"So, any ideas about our next zoid battle?" Rickie asks.

"Well, the battle commission hasn't released anything about our next zoid battle just yet, but I do have two hopes for it," Sarah says.

"What's that?" Grace asks.

"One, that our next opponents will give Geno a decent challenge, or else he'll get pissed-," Sarah says, and they hear the Geno Storm-blade roar in agreement from the back. "And two, that perhaps there will be a special prize for us besides money. Because I gotta admit, us moving our zoids around on these two Gustavs may not cut it for the rest of our journey. Especially since they're out in the open where bandits might try to steal or sabotage them. After our previous issue with the Grun Team, I don't want that to happen again," Sarah explains.

"You got a point there. We're gonna need a new set of wheels. Unfortunately, that's gonna cost a LOT of money, which is something we don't have right now," Rickie reminds them.

"Then we'll just have to win some. And then, we focus back on finding out more about Hunter Krato," Sarah says.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Colt agrees as they continue on their way.

" _...I don't know what happened to you, Hunter Krato... But, I'm going to find out,"_ Sarah thinks.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. The team get back on track with both their mission and their careers as zoid warriors. Whatever happens down the road, it's about to get a lot more interesting. Will they learn more about Hunter Krato? Will they be able to stop Nexus' plans? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	26. Chapter 26: Stupid is Stupid

**Here we are at Chapter 26. Time for another zoid battle for Team Lockhart while they embark on their quest to uncover Nexus' plot. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 26. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Stupid is Stupid**

The members of Team Lockhart make their way through the desert wastes as they continue their journey to find out more about Hunter Krato, and of course, have more zoid battles. Their next destination would be a small city known as Cormun City.

"Are we there yet?" Grace asks.

"Almost Grace. Another hour and we'll reach the city. No word from the ZBC about our next zoid battle yet?" Sarah asks.

"Not yet, but I'm sure we'll find out when we reach Cormun City. I'm starting to lose my patience though," Grace notes.

The comms come on, "Well, our real target is Kuze Town, which is still a long distance away. Besides, they say it's the journey, not the destination, remember," Colt says over the comms.

"Keep talking like that, and your journey will be a short one, got it," Grace threatens him.

"Our mission," Sky reminds them.

"Yeah, we have to find out about Hunter Krato, right?" Rickie adds.

"Yeah... Sarah, do you really think this Hunter kid is being forced to fight for Nexus?" Grace asks.

"I don't know, honestly, but why else would he send that secret message to us? Besides, it did piece a few things together, especially that bit about a spy in the ZBC. If we can figure out who that is, it would go a long way in helping out our mission," Sarah says.

"Who do you think the spy is?" Rickie asks.

"I don't know, but if we don't find out soon, then we're in trouble," Sarah replies.

…

The team arrive at Cormun City at night, much to their relief. Before arriving, they covered up Geno Storm-Blade before they made their way into the local zoid institute so as to not draw too much attention to themselves. That will happen during the next battle. After settling everything at the zoid institute, the team decide to find a spot to eat. However...

"There you are, Team Lockhart. Finally decided to show up, did ya?" they her a male voice behind them and look back, seeing none other than Harry Champ with his two robots. "Surprised to see me are ya?"

Of course they know who he is, but...

"Who are you again?" Colt flatly says, trying to rattle him, and succeeding.

"How can you forget who I am?! I am Harry Champ, the man destined to be king!" Harry flips out.

"Really? First time I'm hearing about it," Grace adds to the fun.

"Not you too. Stop messing with me. We had a battle a couple of weeks ago, remember?!" Harry yells.

"Calm down, Harry. I think they're just trying to rile you up," Benjamin says.

"That's right. There's no need to act so immature," Sebastian adds.

"Sebastian, shut up!" Harry retorts.

"Alright, that's enough. It's been a while, Harry. What are you doing here?" Sarah asks.

Harry composes himself, sort of, "I'm here to challenge you guys to another zoid battle," he declares.

"Yeah right, no chance," Colt declines the challenge.

"What?! You afraid I'll win this time?" Harry retorts.

"We wouldn't get enough points by beating your team again. As fun as beating you sounds, we're on a tight schedule, and we do have a reputation to protect," Grace says.

"Oh, why you! What's it gonna take to get you to accept my challenge? Just name it," Harry says.

A sparkle is seen in Colt and Grace's eyes. Hook, line, and sinker.

"Well, there may be one thing you can do. We know you're rich, so tell us: do you have any Hover Cargos?" Colt asks.

Harry starts laughing, "Hahahaha, of course I do! In fact, I've got four of them!" Harry pats himself on the back.

"Really... Then, you wouldn't mind parting with one of those Hover Cargos, would ya?" Grace asks mischievously.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Harry asks.

"If you put up one of your Hover Cargos on the line, then we'll accept your challenge. That, and three times the prize money. We win, we get the cash and the cargo. You win, and we'll do whatever you say for a week with no complaints," Colt offers.

Harry stares at them, "If I were to win, would I get your zoids if I asked for them?" he asks.

"Of course. Like I said, no complaints," Colt says.

"Very well, then I accept your challenge. I've seen your zoids in action, so things won't end up like last time. Get ready to taste defeat," Harry says and saunters off with his robots in tow.

"I guess it's true what they say: Stupid is stupid. Ignorance, you can fix, but stupid is forever," Grace mutters.

"Hey, look on the bright side, we win this, and we get a brand new Hover Cargo," Colt says.

"Don't forget the money," Grace notes.

"Is he always like that?" Rickie asks.

"Pretty much. Come on, let's go get something to eat and start planning out our strategy," Sarah says and the team head to find some food.

…

The next day, the team re at their Gustavs when they receive a notification from the ZBC, authorizing the battle with the Champ team and the stipulations.

"So, we're all set now?" Grace asks.

"Yes. The battle mode is set to 0-9-9-2, which means it'll be a three-on-three match with no restrictions on weapons. Sky, you don't mind sitting this one out, do you?" Sarah asks.

"It's fine," Sky replies.

"Yeah, we're all good. He took your place in the last battle, so it's only fair that we even it up. Besides, this will be the perfect opportunity for the Geno Storm-Blade to make its glorious debut. Everyone watching this battle will flip out when they see it. This is gonna be sick!" Rickie cheers.

"So, what are the Champ team using this time? The same zoids as before?" Grace asks.

"Nope. This time, they're using a trio of Iron Kong PKs. Different from their usual ones. Let's see... The Iron Kong PKs have high defense and physical strength, and they're loaded with a variety of ranged weapons, so they can fight pretty much at any range. However, their one fatal flaw is that they're slow in terms of speed and mobility. Which means that Geno and Colt's Bravejaguar can run circles around them. Grace, you'll have to figure a way through their defenses if you try to get close," Sarah explains.

"Huh, is that all? Well then, I'll figure something out," Grace replies.

"Alright then, team, let's go win this one," Sarah says.

"Yeah!" the group, except for Sky, pump their fists into the air.

…

At another town, zoid warriors convene at a local hangout for zoid warriors, getting their drinks and preparing to watch the next string of battles. At one table, Naomi Fluegel and Leon Toros wait for the battles to begin.

"So, I hear that the Champ Team and the Lockhart Team are going at it again. Guess Harry couldn't resist trying to avenge his previous loss to them," Leon notes.

"Didn't he do the same thing with the Blitz Team?" Naomi asks.

"Yeah, and he lost every fight," Leon notes.

"So, you guys are here too, huh?" they hear and look over to see Jack Cisco and the Lightning Team join them. "You interested in that fight as well?"

"Guess you heard. I wonder if Sarah is going to be in this fight. I was wondering why she wasn't in the last one," Naomi says.

One of the screens comes on for that specific fight, and the second it does, all their expressions go off the wire.

"What in the world is that?!" Chris yells.

"Is that... the Geno Ritter?" Leon mutters, still in shock.

…

"What the Hell are you doing? What kind of zoid is that?!" Harry yells out from his zoid's cockpit.

The two teams are already out by the canyon where the next battle is supposed to take place, and already Harry is flipping out at the new Geno Storm-Blade.

"Surprised? My Geno Ritter got an upgrade. Say hello to the new Geno Storm-Blade," Sarah says, her partner roaring with her.

…

"I guess that would explain why the kid wasn't in the last battle," Jack mutters.

"I've never seen a zoid like that before," Kelly notes.

All the other zoid warriors in the room quickly turn their attention to that one battle, all muttering their own forms of shock and awe.

"Well, let's see what this new Geno can do," Leon mutters as he watches the battle with interest.

…

The judge enters the battlefield and prepares the match, "Scanning... Scanning... This area is now a battlefield. All unauthorized personal must vacate the area immediately. The Champ Team vs the Lockhart Team. Battle mode 0-9-9-2. Area scanned. Battlefield set up. Ready... Fight!" the judge sounds off and the gong is rung.

Immediately, the Geno Storm-Blade flies across the sand thanks to its thrusters being greater in number and power. Its four sub-arms come out and fire their laser cannons at the Champ Team, hitting the ground around them and stirring up sand and dust to block their vision. When the dust settles, the Champ Team sees the Lockhart Team already entering the nearby cannon, giving them the slip.

"Arrgh! After them! If they go into the canyon, they can't move around as much!" Harry says and the three of them give chase.

They enter the canyon, finding no sign of the opposing team. The canyon is wide, with rocks of various sizes all around them. As they move through, more blasts kick up the sand in front of them. When that settles, they find the Geno Storm-Blade standing in the middle of the canyon path, almost challenging them to come at it all together.

"There's the leader, but where are the other two?" Benjamin asks.

"They must be hiding somewhere, hoping we'll take the bait and attack the leader, and then they'll come out an ambush us. It's so obvious," Sebastian adds.

"Haha, I won't be done in so easily. This won't be like last time," Harry mutters.

"We'll see about that," Sarah says back.

The Geno Storm-Blade fires off its four laser cannons again at them, this time dealing direct hits to all of them. Luckily, the Iron Kong PKs have great defensive capabilities, so the attack doesn't do much, but it's enough to shake them all up. The Geno Storm-Blade then charges forth, intent on facing them all three-on-one. The three zoids fire off their missile launchers together, but the Geno Storm-Blade flies right through them with ease. When it gets close, it zips to the side and slashes clean through the left arm of Benjamin's zoid, forcing it to fall to the ground.

"It cut through with one stroke. What kind of blades are those?" Benjamin mutters in shock.

"Why you!" Harry yells as he turns around and fires off the laser guns on his zoid's right arm.

Benjamin tires to get up, only for something to suddenly clamp down on his zoid's left leg. He looks down, seeing the head of the Spinosapper peeking out of the ground, its jaws locked in tight on its leg.

"Gotcha!" Grace yells and pulls him in, forcing the Iron Kong PK halfway into a sandy burial.

"Ah! I can't move! I can't get out!" Benjamin cries.

"Don't worry, Benjamin. I'll save you-," Sebastian begins before he's hit from behind by a blast of energy and looks back to see the Bravejaguar appear.

"Never take your eyes off an opponent. You're dealing with me today, tin man," Colt says.

Sebastian turns back and fires off a laser cannon, but the Bravejaguar is too fast and evades it easily. He runs around his opponent, making hit-and-run attacks with his claws and his tail blade each team he comes by, slowly chipping away at the Iron Kong PKs armor.

"I can't seem to get a bead on him!" Sebastian yells.

Meanwhile, Harry fires off more missiles at Sarah's zoid, but none of them hit their target. The Geno Storm-Blade comes in close and the Iron Kong PK prepares to throw a punch at its target, but as soon as it gets close and he throws that punch, the Geno Strom-Blade jumps over the Iron Kong PK, kicking it in its head and jumping off of it as the other zoid falls to the ground.

"My zoid is a lot faster now than it used to be, Harry. You thought our last battle was bad? You haven't seen nothing yet," Sarah notes.

"I won't lose to you a second time!" Harry yells as his zoid gets back on its feet.

Back with the others, Benjamin sees the Spinosapper break through the surface in front of him.

"Sorry, Benjamin, but you gotta go down," Grace says.

Benjamin yells and tries to fire off his laser cannon, but the Spinosapper slices it off with one of its chainsaws. It then turns its attention to the main body and shreds it to pieces with its chainsaws, causing Benjamin's systems to freeze up.

"Are you kidding me?!" Benjamin yells.

"Nope, this is the real deal, baby," Grace replies with a wink.

Sebastian continues to fire off his weapons at Colt, but his zoid flies through the shots. However, each time he gets close, the Iron Kong PK keeps him back with its large arms. With his zoid's low armor, the Bravejaguar wouldn't last long against a few well-placed hits from that beast.

"Well, he's certainly learned from our last battle. Then again, it wouldn't be fun if this battle were easy," Colt mutters.

"Hey Colt, need a hand?" he hears over the comms and looks to see Grace's Spinosapper fire off its missiles launchers from behind the Iron Kong PK, dealing a direct hit to its rear and doing some serious damage.

"Arrgh!" Sebastian curses as his zoid falls to the ground, but is still active.

"Thanks Grace. My turn," Colt says and charges at his downed opponent. His zoid starts glowing. "Strike Laser Claw!" he yells and deals the final blow, causing Sebastian's system to freeze up.

"Not again!" Sebastian yells.

"That makes two. Now all that's left is Sarah and Harry. Let's go!" Colt says, and Grace follows him.

Back with Sarah, her zoid slices off the laser cannon of Harry's zoid, followed by taking out the laser guns on its right arm, leaving his missile launcher as his remaining ranged weapon, and that is out of ammo. The two warriors stand apart from one another, a little showdown before the final move is made.

"It's over Harry. Your zoid can't fight much longer, mine doesn't have a scratch, your teammates are down, and mine are still around. Surrender now and I'll accept," Sarah asks.

"I'll never surrender!" Harry shouts and charges at her.

Sarah sighs, "I figured you'd say that. Oh well," she mutters and charges forth to meet him.

The two get close and the Iron Kong PK throws a left punch, but the Geno Storm-Blade spins in mid-air with its blades out, slicing off both the left arm and the left leg of Harry's zoid, causing it to fall into the sand while Sarah's zoid lands behind him. Harry's system freezes up and the bell goes out for the end of the match.

"Battle is over. Battle is over. The winner is... the Lockhart Team!" the judge announces.

"Another win for Team Lockhart," Colt says, dusting off his shoulders.

"Come to me, my prize money," Grace adds.

Sarah sighs in relief, "Well done, Geno. That was a great debut battle for you," she says, and her partner roars in agreement.

"Oh, I can't believe I lost again," Harry wines, only for Colt and Grace's zoids to stand in front of him.

"Hey Harry, don't forget our little bet. You owe us three times the prize money and a Hover Cargo," Grace says.

"NOOOO!" Harry cries with tears of defeat.

…

Back where the other warriors are, everyone is stunned by the triumphant display, especially with Sarah's new zoid.

"So, that's the power of Sarah's zoid. What was it called again? Geno Storm-Blade?" Naomi asks.

"Yeah, and I've got a feeling that it hasn't shown its full potential yet. Sarah and her teammates are growing stronger with each passing day. It won't be long before they make it to class A and get a chance to face us again," Leon notes.

"Well, I know I can't wait to face them again. We never did finish our fight during the battle royal. That thought alone has got me itching to battle them again," Jack adds.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see," Naomi says.

…

Later that day, Harry brings out a white and blue Hover Cargo from his personal Whale King, as per their deal. Team Lockhart already got their prize money, plus the extra bonus from Harry. Again.

"There, are you happy now. One Hover Cargo, per our agreement... But don't get cocky. I won't lose the next time we fight," Harry says.

"Right. And the next time we beat you guys again, you can pay us four times the prize money," Grace retorts, playing with her hair.

"Really?" Colt stares at her, eyebrow raised.

"What? A girl's gotta make a living," Grace innocently replies.

"You're merciless," Colt mutters.

The deal is set and Harry quickly makes his departure, swearing that he'll beat them next time. The team load up their zoids into the Hover Cargo and have Sky and Rickie check to make sure everything is set inside while the rest of the team sell their Gustavs for some extra cash. They really won't be needing them at this point. With all of that added to their prize money and getting a new ride for free, they made a good deal today. A job well done. The group check out the inside of the Hover Cargo, finding rooms for each of them, multiple bathrooms with showers, a living room, a recreational area, a kitchen, and the command center for their travels and zoid battles. They also made sure their zoids were set inside the hanger. Luckily, the Hover Cargo came equipped with a catapult for Sky's Pteramander and the rest of their zoids. That would help with getting him into the air whenever he battles. Since it would be getting dark soon, and the team had a long day, they decided to sleep in town for the night ad get an early start in the morning. Of course, there's one thing that hasn't changed.

"Good night Geno," Sarah mutters before falling asleep in Geno's cockpit like she usually does.

…

The next morning, they had plans to continue their journey to Kuze Town to look into Hunter Krato. However, it seems they aren't the only ones that have been keeping busy.

"...At this time, we have no information regarding the sudden night-time attacks by the group who call themselves 'Nexus', but already four zoid teams of the lower rankings have been attacked, and unfortunately... all members of each team have been declared deceased. What's more, we have another report that the same group attacked a small ZBC outpost in the southern edge of the continent, resulting in heavy losses. This Nexus released a statement, claiming responsibility for all of the attacks, and now people are on edge. The ZBC have not released a statement regarding these attacks, only that an investigation is underway," a female reporter explains.

The team are in the command center, watching the news feed on the main screen, shocked by what they have learned. The video shows the signs of attacks on the zoid teams and the outpost attack, seeing endless destruction before them, and white sheets over what they can assume are dead bodies of those that were attacked.

"Nexus has made the next move. What should we do?" Grace asks.

"Sarah?" Rickie asks.

Sarah clenches her fists, "We stay the course and head for Kuze Town. We find out more about Hunter Krato and Nexus... and then we take them down," Sarah declares.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah and her team win another battle and get a new form of transportation, but their happy victory is short-lived when Nexus make their next move. It seems like the gloves are coming off now. Will Team Lockhart uncover the secrets of Hunter Krato and Nexus? Or will more lives be lost in the process? Until then, Please Read and Review.**


	27. Chapter 27: Kuze Town

**Here we are at Chapter 27. Let's see if the gang can make any progress on their mission to stop Nexus. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 27. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 27: Kuze Town**

It takes the gang a few more days before they finally reach their destination, Kuze Town. During those few days, they get a few more reports of zoid groups being attacked and most or all of their members being killed. Only this time, the groups that are attacked are bandits and thugs rather than official zoid teams. Guess Nexus doesn't discriminate when it comes to attacking zoid pilots. When they reach the town, they park their Hover Cargo outside the town limits since there is no zoid institute here. The town is small, the kind you'd find in old movies, but it's alive for the most part.

"So, this is Kuze Town, home to the guy that has been trying to kill us for weeks," Colt mutters.

"Enough, we need to focus. Let's find anyone who may have known Hunter's family," Sarah says.

The group walk through town, and decide to split up to cover more ground. Since he's the only one of legal age, Sky checks out the local pub with Rickie to check for information, while Grace and Sarah go another way, leaving Colt all by himself. Sarah and Grace head to one place where they wouldn't really find anything, but Sarah wanted to go there anyway. The town's local cemetery. There, they find a few rows of gravestones with names etched into them. A few other people are here, paying their respects to lost loved ones. Sarah and Grace look through the names until they find what they're looking for. Three graves, with one of them having the name of Hunter Krato, while the other two had his parents' names, Brian and Rebecca Krato.

"The report said that the parents were killed, but they never found his body. I guess after a while, people just decided that he was dead too," Grace says.

Sarah just kneels down, staring at the stone, until...

"Come to pay your respects?" they hear and turn to find a middle-aged man wearing a brown jacket, a dirty cap, gray pants, and a black shirt underneath. "I don't recall seeing two young ladies like yourselves being from around here," the man says.

"Yeah, we're not from around here. We're sort of passing through, though we were planning on staying at least a day or two. I'm Grace and this is Sarah," Grace says, with Sarah waving to the man.

"You can call me Patrick," Patrick says, walking up to look at the graves they were staring at. "It's a damn shame. They were good folks. Heck, Brian and me knew each other since we were your age. I gotta ask, why are you here at their graves?" Patrick asks.

"Well, I like to read a lot, and I found this old article about them. It reminded me of my own parents from a long time ago, and I got a little curious. I was hoping to learn more about them," Sarah says, the mentioning of her parents gaining Grace's attention.

"Hmm, I see. Sorry about the questioning. Come with me. I'll tell you about them," Patrick says and walks away with them following.

"You never told me your parents were dead," Grace whispers to Sarah.

"Well, my dad died a few years ago. My mom died shortly after I was born after she got sick. It was a long time ago. I'm okay, Grace," Sarah whispers back.

Grace stops for a second watching her leader walk ahead before catching up to join her.

…

Sky and Rickie leave a pub, with Rickie looking a little grumpy.

"I can't believe they thought I was your son. We look nothing alike, and the last time I checked, I was the better-looking brother," Rickie complains.

"Get over it," Sky says as he walks away.

Rickie catches up, "So what now? We didn't get much from that place aside from baseless rumors and ghost stories," he notes.

"Keep searching," Sky replies.

"You know, one of these days, we gotta get you to speak more than ten syllables," he mutters, earning a slap to the back of the head. "Ow!"

…

Sarah and Grace are with Patrick at a small café, each of them sitting at a table with some drinks.

"So, you knew the family?" Sarah asks, sipping her tea.

"Yep, me and Brian had been friends for a long time. We dealt in the merchant business together. I was surprised to hear that he met someone, even more so when they had a kid. Then I met their baby boy, Hunter. That kid was always all over the place, so full of energy," Patrick thinks back on the good old days.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, Patrick, what exactly happened to them?" Grace asks.

The smile leaves Patrick's face as he stares at his cup of coffee, "I honestly wish I knew. They were planning on taking a little vacation to the northern coast. The weather up there is always nice. On the day they left for the trip, I saw an explosion go off in the distance. Me and some of the guys went to go help, but found only a destroyed vehicle... Brian and Rebecca dead... and Hunter missing. We conducted search parties, looked for days across miles for the kid, but we couldn't find any trace of him. Eventually, the searches were called off and he was declared deceased as well. We gave them all burials. Still, there are times when I wonder what happened to the kid," Patrick explains.

"Was there anything that happened before they left for their vacation, anything that seemed off to you?" Sarah asks.

The man remains silent for a moment, "Well, there was one thing that was a bit off... I remember a few days before they went for their vacation that we saw a black Redler zoid flying low over the town," Patrick says.

"Wait, a black Redler?" Grace asks.

"Yeah, it zoomed by pretty close to the rooftops, but then it went up and started flying in circles above the town, like a bird that was searching for something. Everyone in town was first angry at the thing causing so much commotion, but then they started getting worried that it might have been part of a bandit group coming to attack, though the attack never came," Patrick says.

"Anything else that you can remember?" Sarah asks.

"No, nothing else really comes to mind. I always wondered if the two were related, but we never saw the Redler on the day of the explosion, nor have we seen it since. Never saw the pilot and it never landed near town, so nobody knows who piloted it," Patrick explains.

"I see. I'm sorry about all that. Thank you for the tea and for what you told us, but we'd better get going now. It was nice meeting you," Sarah says as she stands up, leaving some money on the table for the drinks.

"Are you sure?" Patrick asks.

"Yes, we weren't planning on staying long. Like I said before, we were just passing through," Sarah says as she and Grace leave.

"You intent on looking for that black Redler?" Patrick asks. Sarah stops for a second without looking back, but then continues on her way. Patrick sighs, "I thought so," he mutters.

The two girls walk through town, looking for the others.

"What's on your mind?" Grace asks.

"I'll explain once we've met up with the others. Let's head back to the Hover Cargo," Sarah says, a serious look in her eye.

…

Later in the day, the team regroup in the Hover Cargo in the recreational room, sitting on the couches to discuss what they learned.

"A black Redler, huh?" Colt notes, a hand to his chin in thought.

"It was Nexus that must've attacked Hunter's family and took him in the chaos. It makes sense. All of their zoids have always had a black color scheme aside from the Geno Scissors. And it would explain how Hunter ended up working for them if he's being forced to fight," Sarah explains.

"Okay, but why go after some random kid in the middle of nowhere?" Rickie asks.

"The Z-link system," Sky answers.

"Exactly. We learned that the Z-link system can only work with people who are compatible with the system. The Geno Scissors had the same system like Geno, and if they could successfully use it, it means that Hunter was compatible to it, like me," Sarah says.

"So, what, they have a way of figuring out if someone is compatible or not?" Grace asks.

"Or, they don't and were just targeting people at random until they found someone they could use," Colt theorizes.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asks.

"Well, I did some digging while you guys were off doing your own thing, and I found out that during that same year and the years before that Hunter was kidnapped, a large number of people went missing in other towns across the eastern hemisphere of the continent, and so far none of them have been found," Colt says.

"You don't think..." Rickie trails off.

"Nexus kidnapped them and used them as tests subjects until they found a suitable pilot for the Geno Scissors," Grace says.

"And they were probably also the ones responsible for what happened to Geno. It would explain why they were so interested in him," Sarah adds.

"What do you think happened to the other people they kidnapped?" Rickie asks.

"Honestly... nothing good. There's a good chance they'll never be found," Colt mutters sorrowfully.

"Okay, but how are they forcing Hunter to fight? His family is gone, so that card is out. Mind control, maybe?" Grace asks.

"Possibly. We have no idea what Nexus is capable, and we've seen quite a bit of what they can do, and what they WILL do to win," Colt replies.

"Or tortured him," Sky adds.

"Can we not forget that we're talking about the guy that killed Geno once and nearly put you six feet under?" Grace asks, pointing at Sarah.

"No one here has forgotten that fact, Grace, but we got to remember that Hunter is the one that informed us about the spy in the ZBC, which also explains how they've been able to track us throughout our journey and attack when we least expect it," Sarah replies.

"Which reminds me, again, do we have any idea who it could be?" Rickie asks.

"So far, I still have no clue who it could be. Again, most people in the ZBC don't know about our operation, so not many people to go through, but we still have no proof," Colt explains.

"You think it could be any of those former Backdraft Group guys?" Rickie asks.

"Hardly. They all left the Backdraft Group of their own accord. Why leave one crime group just to join another and be right back where they started? And even as much as I hate to admit it, the witch wouldn't want Vega involved with a group as bloodthirsty as Nexus, so they're out," Colt says.

"Okay, but then who does that leave us with again?" Grace asks.

"The ZBC chief, which is impossible, Lt. Roderick, though I don't think so. Those two have been in ZBC long before I got involved, and a few other high-ranking officials. Give me some more time to do some more digging, and I might have an answer," Colt says.

"Okay, so what should we do now?" Rickie asks.

"We got what we came for here, but honestly, I don't know where to go from here. I'm sure we'll have another zoid battle soon, but what then?" Sarah says.

Colt sighs, "You know, I'm starting to get tired of always playing on defense here with these guys. It would be nice if we could make an attack of our own on these guys. Maybe get the jump on them for once," he notes.

Everyone grows silent from then on.

"Okay, guys, there's no use fretting over it for now. Let's get something to eat, get some rest, and get a fresh start in the morning. Come up with some ideas then, okay?" Sarah suggests.

They all nod in agreement and decide to relax for the time being. After having something to eat, they returned to the Hover Cargo and called it a night.

…

Deep in her dreams, Sarah opens her eyes to find herself in some kind of factory, with machines running automatically. She looks around, finding various zoids being made around her.

"Another one of Geno's memories," Sarah mutters.

The scene changes again, showing a large number of black Rev Raptors all lined up like soldiers preparing to march for battle. Sarah can feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up in worry at the scene before the scene changes again, this time with her outside the factory, finding it deep within a mountain range that she does not recognize. She then gets another image, this time of the original Geno Ritter as various machines work on its armor and weapons. It's body looked old and somewhat damaged.

"Was this... the place where Geno was born? No, more like where it was reborn after they found him," Sarah mutters again.

…

Sarah wakes up again, only this time she's not breaking out in a cold sweat and out of breath.

Sarah raises a hand to her head, "Another clue. Another lead from Geno..."

When the morning came, the group are in the kitchen area, having breakfast when Sarah tells them about her dream.

"So, another secret base of Nexus huh? That sounds promising, however, did your dream give you any indication about where this factory is?" Colt asks.

"Unfortunately, no. All I got were images of a mountain range, which included two twin peaks towering above the rest, but that's all," Sarah shakes her head.

"Great, so now what do we do?" Rickie asks.

"Find the twin peaks," Sky replies.

"Sky's right. The last time Sarah had a dream like this, we found an old abandoned factory that was apparently operated by Nexus, and it was there that we learned more about Geno and the Z-link system. If we can find those peaks, we'll find the base and uncover more of Nexus' secrets," Grace says.

"Okay, but where do we start?" Colt asks.

"I don't-," Sarah begins before a screen on the kitchen wall comes on, showing an old jeep approaching the Hover Cargo.

"Who's that?" Colt asks.

Sarah and Grace notice the old cap on a man's head, "It's Patrick. We talked to him yesterday. He's the guy that told us about the attack on Hunter's family," Sarah says.

"What does he want?" Grace wonders.

The group head outside just as Patrick's ride stops next to their transport. Patrick practically jumps out of his vehicle and runs to them, hunching over to catch his breath for a moment.

"Patrick? What's going on?" Sarah asks.

"I wanted to catch you guys... before you left... I remembered something else about that black Redler from that one time," Patrick says.

"What is it?" Grace asks.

"I remember that after it flew in circles over the town, it then changed course and went southwest from the town. It kept going that way until we could no longer see it," Patrick answers.

The group look in the direction he indicated, "What's southwest of here?" Colt asks.

"Nothing much except for more desert and some mountains around thirty miles from here. That's about it," Patrick replies.

The mention of the mountains and the direction that the Redler went quickly gets the team's attention. They thank Patrick for the info and get moving towards those mountains. While there is no guarantee that they'll find what they're looking for, it's the best lead they got right now, and Sarah's dreams haven't failed them yet.

"So, what's the worst we can expect from this place?" Rickie asks.

"Well, from the dream, there looks to be a lot of Rev Raptors there. There could be other zoids in the vicinity as well. It looked like a factory for making and outfitting zoids," Sarah replies.

"You think that Hunter guy will be there?" Grace asks.

"I don't know, but it would be better to assume he is and not find him than the other way around. I think it's time we take the fight to them now, rather than wait for them to come to us," Sarah replies.

"Okay, but what exactly are we looking for there? Aside from kicking more Nexus butt, I mean?" Rickie asks.

"Anything that could point us to their spy, maybe their base, or what their next move is. At the very least, we can take out some of their forces and stop another one of their attacks. If we don't so something quick, more lives will be lost," Sarah says.

"Shouldn't we inform the ZBC about this?" Grace asks.

"Probably not the best idea with the spy looming around. We'll tell them AFTER we take out the base," Colt says.

"You think they'll get mad about that?" Sarah asks.

Colt shrugs his shoulders, "Probably. But, I've been chewed out before. It won't make much difference to me," he says, making some of the chuckle a bit.

The group continue on their way then towards their next destination.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. I know it's a little short, but I felt that this was a good stopping point for this chapter, so there's that. Sarah and her team head to a possible Nexus base to go on the offense this time, but what will they find when they reach their destination? What else does the Nexus have planned for their team and for Hunter Krato? Until then, Please Read and Review.**


	28. Chapter 28: A New Strategy

**Here we are at Chapter 28. Let's see if Team Lockhart can deliver a sucker punch to Nexus before they make their next move. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 28. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 28: A New Strategy**

Team Lockhart drive through the desert, heading toward the mountain range that Patrick told them about. So far, they haven't found any trouble along the way, or traps set up for them, but that doesn't ease the building tension between them. If anything, the fact that they haven't found any opposition yet only makes them more nervous.

"How long before we reach the mountains?" Rickie asks.

"Not too much longer. Sky, I want you to launch in the Pteramander and stay high in the clouds. If you see anything in the skies, give us a heads up. And if they have something set up for us, then a least we'll have a trump card up our sleeves," Sarah says.

Sky nods and heads into the hanger bay.

"What about the rest of us?" Grace asks.

"Grace, Colt, head to your zoids as well, but stay inside the Hover Cargo. I'll let you know when to launch," she says, and the two head to their zoids. "Rickie, can you drive this thing?" Sarah asks.

"Pfft. Who do you think you're talking to? Of course, I can pilot a Hover Cargo," Rickie replies, offended.

"Okay, when we reach our destination, I'll give the controls to you. Fall back a bit and keep the defenses up in case you get attacked while we're gone. If you do, call us right away, and we'll head back to you," Sarah explains.

"Roger that," Rickie replies with a mock salute.

Sky launches into the air and heads into the clouds, out of reach of any enemy fire from the ground. Soon enough, the group reach the mountains, seeing nothing particularly special about them other than the twin peaks that appear to be at the center of them. The others move to their positions.

"Sky, you see anything of note?" Sarah asks as she heads to the hangar bay.

"Nothing. Be careful," Sky replies.

Sarah reaches her partner, and hops into Geno's cockpit. Rickie drives the Hover Cargo into an area near the edge of the range to conceal it visually. After that, the rest of the team head out in their zoids, careful to not be too eager for what awaits them. For a short while, the group travel through the mountains, finding nothing so far, not even a single enemy zoid waiting for them. It feels like forever before Geno starts growling a bit, gaining Sarah's attention.

"Geno, what is it?" she asks.

The Geno Storm-Blade looks ahead, around a corner of one mountain, towards the twin peaks. The team move around to the other side, only to find exactly what they've been looking for: a large military base, filled with black Rev Raptors all strutting about around the perimeter of the base. They quickly move back behind the mountain side for cover.

"Geez, you never said they would have a small army of Rev Raptors here," Colt notes.

"I didn't think there would be this many," Sarah retorts.

"So, what do we do now?" Grace asks.

"We go in. They probably won't be expecting us. Sky, rally to our position and launch a long-range attack with your missiles," Sarah orders.

"Roger that," Sky replies.

Within seconds, Sky's attack comes in, with several missiles hitting in and around the horde of Rev Raptors, sending them into a scramble. Sarah and Colt use this chance to launch a direct attack, firing off their laser cannons at the enemy before they can regroup. More Rev Raptors get taken out from the surprise attack, and the Bravejaguar and the Geno Storm-Blade rush in for close-range combat. The Geno's blades slice through enemy after enemy as it zooms by them. The Bravejaguar clamps its jaws down on the neck of one Rev Raptor, taking it and throwing it into another nearby. The remaining Rev Raptors regroup and begin their counterattack, firing off their laser guns. Sarah and Colt book it to evade the attacks. What the Rev Raptors don't see coming is the missiles launched from the Spinosapper after it snuck by them, hitting them from the side and taking out a few more of them. A few Rev Raptors change course and attack Grace with their curved blades, while she readies her zoid's chainsaws.

Meanwhile, Sarah finds herself surrounded by a score of Rev Raptors from all sides. Sarah just smirks and hits a switch in the cockpit. The Geno roars and starts spinning around, blades out and laser cannons firing at all cylinders, taking out every enemy around her. Once the enemies have been dealt with, she stops spinning, but is very dizzy.

"Ugh, I'm not doing that again," Sarah groans, holding her head.

Meanwhile, Colt pilots his zoid, running along the side of a mountain in order to move around one enemy and attack another, slicing it with his claws. A Rev Raptor attacks from behind, but he counters with the blade on his zoid's tail, knocking its head back and giving him the chance to fire his cannons, taking it out. Just then, Sky enters the fray, firing his laser cannons from the air, taking out several more Rev Raptors.

"These guys are usually tougher than this," Colt notes.

"Must either be rookie pilots, or because we've fought against them several times by now, that we've gotten used to how they fight," Grace thinks.

"It doesn't matter. Finish them off and get into that base," Sarah says.

The Geno Storm-Blade opens its jaws as its charged particle cannon starts charging. Sarah engages her zoids thrusters, and has two blades pierce the ground around her. She fires her charged particle cannon while her partner spins around, taking out the rest of the enemy zoids in one swoop with her attack. When the dust settles, the Geno Storm-Blade roars into the air. The rest of the team regroup with her, except for Sky who remains in the skies above the base.

"Well, that was easier than expected," Colt notes.

"Stay on your guard, Colt. If there were guards here, then that means that this base is still operational. Let's get inside and see what we can find. But, be careful. We don't know who or what is in there. Sky, stay out here and keep an eye out for enemy reinforcements. Let us know if you see anything," Sarah says.

"Will do," Sky replies before flying back into the clouds.

"Come on guys. Let's see who's home," Sarah says.

The group make their way to the main entrance, finding it fortified. However, that doesn't stop Geno from destroying it with its blades, carving a way in for them. Of course, as soon as they enter, they receive incoming fire from a lot of enemy soldiers, with machine guns and rocket launchers. The machine guns do little harm, but they group block the rockets just in case. The Spinosapper fires its gatling guns at the soldiers, causing most of them to scatter. The Bravejaguar moves to take out the infrastructure around them, taking down the guards on the floor above them.

"So, if this place is a zoid manufacture facility, should we destroy it?" Grace asks.

"Not yet, there might be data or files here that could be of use to us. Let's take care of the small fry first, and then we'll sort out the rest later," Colt replies.

Their zoids fire their weapons, careful not to deal any direct hits to the soldiers, but enough to injure them or force them to retreat. The battle is pretty one-sided and soon enough, there isn't much of the enemy left that can still fight, most of them unconscious while the rest have fled. With that done, the group head further in, looking for some kind of terminal or data center where they can get some info on these guys. Throughout the facility, they find machines and equipment designed for building zoids and developing zoid parts. Of course, they were sure to shut those down so they couldn't make any more zoids for Nexus.

"It's like this place runs all on its own," Grace notes as she looks around.

"There are a few zoid facilities like that. There are scientists that control the operations, but when it comes to the manual labor, they have machines for that, and a set of buttons to push, of course," Colt notes.

"Well, let's see if there are any around that work for Nexus," Sarah adds.

The Geno Storm-Blade breaks through one wall, finding a light room with hundreds of blue lights circling all around. It almost looks like a small arena. Of course, they were not alone.

"Welcome, Team Lockhart. So glad you could join us," they hear a male voice on speakers throughout the room.

"Who's there?" Sarah calls out. A screen lights up on one side of the arena, revealing the face of the leader of Nexus. "You," Sarah mutters with hate.

"A pleasure to see you again, Sarah Lockhart. I must admit, I'm impressed that you found this place, and that you managed to get inside," the man says.

"Who are you?!" Grace yells.

"You may address me as Kaiser, Grace Flintwood," Kaiser calmly replies.

"He knows my name," Grace mutters.

"Where are you, Kaiser?" Sarah demands, Geno roaring for emphasis.

"Nowhere near you, my dear. You managed to get this far. I'm not entirely surprised. Those soldiers we had standing guard here were still rookies in our ranks, and this place was losing its value. If anything, you did me a favor," Kaiser replies.

"Why are you doing this? Going up against the ZBC and attacking zoid teams?" Colt asks.

"Haven't you been listening? Zoids are machines of immense power, but now they are merely used as toys for a game. It's sickening. The world has forgotten where it came from. I am here to remind them. Zoids are weapons for war, not toys for other people's amusement. Soon enough, they will realize their mistake, even if we must kill hundreds of people to do so. Peace can make a species weak, stagnant, but war will force them to evolve, to grow to new heights of power. That is the only way to survive. Through war," Kaiser explains.

"You're insane," Grace says with disgust.

"I'm a realist, my dear. Now then, you came all this way, it's only fitting I give you a proper welcome," Kaiser says.

Just then, a section of the floor in front of them opens up, and up comes a modified, black Gojulas cannon. The cannons have been replaced with large miniguns, thrusters have been placed on its back and its legs, a pair of small laser guns on its tail, and wires coming from a section of the backpack connect to the cockpit.

"Oh boy," Colt mutters.

"Let's see how well you handle yourselves against this. Engage Z-Link system," Kaiser says.

The wires on the zoid glow, as does the cockpit on its head before the zoid roars and engages its thrusters, charging at them faster than a normal Gojulas cannon. The team scatter as it races by them, and it turns around to fire off its miniguns at the group. The Bravejaguar runs for it, avoiding the rain of bullets, but the Spinosapper is having a harder time and has to use its chainsaws to block the bullets. The Geno Storm-Blade comes in from the side, swinging its blades, but two of them get caught in the Gojulas' claws. The Geno fires its laser cannons close up, getting a clear it, but then the Gojulas swings its tail at it. The Geno Storm-Blade has barely enough time to evade the swing, only to get a surprise hit in from the laser guns on the Gojulas' tail. The Spinosapper fires its missile launchers, but the enemy fires its miniguns again, taking them all out.

"Strike Laser Claw!" Colt yells as he jumps in from the side with his claws out.

However, the Gojulas dodges out of the way at the last second, and grabs the Bravejaguar by its tail, swinging it into the Spinosapper and knocking them into the side of the wall behind them.

"Grace! Colt!" Sarah yells.

"I'd be more worried about myself if I were you," Kaiser says as he watches the battle.

The Gojulas turns to her and roars.

"That's it. Let's go, Geno," Sarah says, and engages her Z-Link system.

Geno's eyes glow as it roars at its opponent. The Gojulas fires its miniguns again, but the Geno Storm-Blade flies by it, firing its laser cannons in retaliation. The blasts hit their mark, but the Gojulas shrugs them off and charges forth. The two zoids collide, but the Gojulas slowly pushes the Geno Storm-Blade back. However, the Geno swings its blade up, slicing through the barrels of the miniguns, forcing the Gojulas back as they explode. However, after that, the Gojulas starts acting weird, swinging its head and tail around in a frenzy

"What the Hell?" Sarah mutters.

"Oh dear, looks like this one is a failure as well. I suppose we'll need more test subjects," Kaiser says.

"You bastard. Isn't this one of your men?" Sarah says.

"This is war, my dear. There will always be casualties, especially when it comes to righting the wrongs of this world," Kaiser replies nonchalant, not caring at all.

The Gojulas roars and charges at Geno, attempting to clamp its jaws onto his hide. Sarah moves her partner around, slicing off one arm from their enemy and then slicing off another in a hit-and-run attack. While the Z-Link system for their opponent may be going haywire, theirs is working fine since Sarah is compatible. The Gojulas slowly turns back to them and roars into the air before opening its mouth at them, revealing a high-powered laser cannon within. It fires, bu the Geno Storm-Blade moves just in time and then goes in to finish this duel. The Gojulas fires again, and misses again, and then Geno stabs all of its blade into its mouth, through the back of its neck. The blades pull out and the Gojulas falls to the ground, its system frozen.

Kaiser claps his hands, "Well done, Sarah Lockhart. Most impressive. But then again, I'd expect nothing less from one who is compatible with the Z-Link system," Kaiser says.

"Do your own troops mean so little to you?" Colt demands as he and Grace rejoin Sarah.

"A necessary sacrifice. Besides, there's plenty more where that came from," Kaiser replies.

Sarah growls, "Where is Hunter Krato?!" she yells.

That makes Kaiser raise his eyebrows, if only a little it, "Oh, so you figured that part out, hm. It seems I have underestimated you a bit. Don't worry... I won't make that mistake again. But, as much as I'd love to continue this little chat of ours, I'm afraid it will have to wait until another time. Besides, I have a marvelous gift for you, anyway," Kaiser replies.

"What gift?" Grace asks.

Kaiser hits a button from his location, and all of a sudden, red lights and sirens start going off in the base.

"Warning. Warning. Self-destruct sequence initiated. Five minutes until core meltdown. Please evacuate immediately," they hear around them.

"Ah crap!" Colt curses.

"Until next time, Team Lockhart," Kaiser says, and then the screen goes black.

"We have to get out of here!" Grace yells.

The pilots book it out of the base, trying to get out as fast as possible before the whole base explodes, and with them inside it. They break through wall after wall, making their own little shortcut. When they get near the exit, the Bravejaguar and the Geno Storm-Blade fire their laser cannons, punching a hole to freedom. Making it outside they continue back to the Hover Cargo.

"Sky, you reading me?" Sarah calls out.

"Loud and clear," Sky replies from up in the air.

"The base is about to explode! We have to get back to the Hover Cargo now!" Sarah responds.

"Roger," Sky replies and flies down to join them.

The group barely make it out of the blast radius in time before the base explodes, sending up fire and debris in every direction. Luckily, the Hover Cargo was closer to the edge of the mountain range, taking cover behind some of them for safety. Once everyone returns to the Hover Cargo, Sarah gives the rundown of what happened inside to Rickie and Sky.

"So, they've got more pilots using the Z-Link system, or at least trying to before they go nuts because the system won't work with them," Rickie notes.

"It makes me sick how that bastard Kaiser can just use his own people like that and then throw them away when they've been used up, like they're just puppets. How could anyone work for someone like that?" Grace subtly rages.

"There could be several reasons: fear of being killed or tortured, fear for a loved one, money, loyalty, or because they believe in this cause as much as he does. Maybe some of them even believe they're compatible with the system and think it'll be easy to master. There could be a whole bunch of reasons. It doesn't change that fact that as long as they keep trying to kill us, we have to fight back," Colt explains.

So, what do we do now?" Rickie asks.

"We should tell the ZBC about the base. Maybe they can scrounge something up from the wreckage, even something to help us locate Hunter or Kaiser, preferably the later so I can kick his face in," Grace says.

"Agreed. We'll inform the ZBC about our findings, and head back to the village, rest up there, and then think about what to do next," Sarah concurs.

"Alright, let's do it," Rickie nods.

The group make their way back to the village, with Colt having informed ZBC about the destroyed base and what they found. He told the team that they'll send a crew to search the site for anything useful. However, when they come closer to the village... they see smoke rising into the sky.

"What's that?" Grace asks, worried.

"Oh no," Sarah mutters.

They quicken their pace before finally seeing the village in sight, or rather... what's left of it.

"My God," Colt mutters in shock.

The whole village is burning, smoke rising into the sky and slowly turning it from blue to black. Everything building is destroyed, and as far as they can see, there are no more signs of life from that place. The sight makes Sarah realize something.

"This is what he was talking about. This was the surprise he had for us," Sarah mutters in horror.

"But, I thought his beef was with the ZBC," Grace notes.

"Not anymore," Sky says, even his usually stoic persona a little shaken by the scene.

"It seems that he'll kill anyone to achieve his goals, even people who don't fight or are not affiliated with the zoid battle business. This was a message to us," Colt says.

A single tear falls from Sarah's eye, and her fists clench.

"Kaiser... He will pay for this," she mutters with hate, the bright flames seen in her eyes.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Team Lockhart managed to deal a blow to Nexus, but it seems it came at a heavy cost. The battle against Nexus continues, but how many more lives will be lost before it finally comes to an end? Will Sarah stop Kaiser and his malicious plan? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	29. Chapter 29: A New Plan

**Here we are at Chapter 29. Nexus continues to deal damage to the world of zoid battles, but Team Lockhart hasn't given up yet. Let's see if they can find a way to stop them in this chapter. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respectible owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 29. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 29: A New Plan**

Team Lockhart made a call to the authorities about the destroyed village, but even after the fires went down, there were no survivors, which means no witnesses to whoever or whatever attacked the village. But, Sarah knew exactly who attacked them, and she vowed to make them pay for it. The team leave to plane out their next move, since they didn't know what to do next.

They had already informed the ZBC about the destroyed base, but weren't told on what to do next other than wait on standby.

"So, what do we do now?" Grace asks.

The team are in the Hover Cargo, sitting in the living room to discuss their plan.

"We couldn't really find out anything from the base. The only thing we succeeded in doing there was taking out some of their troops and one of their facilities, plus that one zoid with the Z-link system," Rickie says.

"Well, most zoid battles are on hold right now because of this threat with Nexus. However, they still haven't made any attempts at attacking the high-ranking teams, only those in B rank and below, along with zoid gangs and bandits, not to mention a few facilities belonging to the ZBC," Colt notes.

"How long before they up their game and start attacking the high-rankers?" Grace asks.

"Don't know. I still don't get how they could have amassed a force this large and keep it hidden for so long without the ZBC finding out," Colt replies.

"...Maybe because the ZBC was busy with another problem," Sarah suddenly says, having been thinking while the others were talking.

"What do you mean?" Rickie asks.

"The Backdraft Group," Sky answers, figuring Sarah out.

This gives the rest a look of realization, "That's right. The ZBC was focused on taking down the Backdraft Group and preventing them from taking over the zoid battles. All their resources were focused on them, and on keeping the battles going," Colt realizes.

"Which means that there was essentially no one stopping Nexus from slowly building up its forces under the radar, or from getting a spy into their ranks. To amass a force this large would take months, maybe even years, when you include the time, effort, and money to gather the necessary resources and manpower," Sarah adds.

"We figured they had been planning this a long time, but it seems we didn't realize just how long," Grace says.

"Some of their members could be former Backdraft group lackies. The ZBC took down their leadership and their judge satellites, but maybe some of the grunts got away and were picked up by Nexus, hoping for a shot at revenge," Colt says.

"Okay, but with all that said, we still don't know what our next move is," Rickie notes.

"For right now, we're on our way to Mangara Town. Our zoids could use a few repairs and resupply. After that, we'll figure out what to do next," Colt says.

The rest of the group nod, with Sarah still deep in thought over this whole conflict. She just wants to fight in zoid battles and one day battle against Bit Cloud and the Liger Zero, and yet, now she's caught in the middle of a war. How did everything end up like this?

…

The group make their way to Mangara Town, arriving there a day later. However, when they pull in to the local zoid institute there, they find someone already waiting for them. Lieutenant Roderick.

"Lt., what are you doing here?" Colt asks when the team leave the Hover Cargo.

"Orders. I've been assigned to your team as support and another connection with the ZBC. After your earlier report about the Nexus base you destroyed, the chief believes that Nexus will be even more interested in coming after you now. Also, because you failed to report about it before you went in. Your behavior had the chief concerned a bit," Roderick informs him.

Colt slouches, "Oh, great, we have a babysitter now," he groans.

"I'm just following orders, Agent Wilson. As you should be doing. Remember, your still a member of the Zoid Battle Commission," Roderick tells him.

Colt waves him off, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, no need to give me the riot act, 'sir'," Colt retorts.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, but do you even know how to pilot a zoid?" Rickie asks.

"Of course I do. I didn't start out with the ZBC in this position. I started as a grunt, like all the rest, and through hard work and effort, I climbed my way up through the ranks to earn my current position. Honestly, kids these days," Roderick groans a bit.

"Yeah, great, whatever. Well, if you want to help, then you can keep an eye on the Hover Cargo while we get something to eat," Colt says and the group begin to leave.

"Hold on, we need to discuss our future operations against Nexus. This isn't the time for goofing off," Roderick retorts.

"In case you haven't noticed, sir, we just went through a really rough experience these past couple of days, and we need to regain our strength. But if you're so keen on working right now, then fine. I'll talk with you. Sky, can you back me up here?" Colt asks, and Sky nods. "Great, the rest of you go rest up. Just make sure you bring us back something to eat," Colt says.

With that being said, and before Roderick can stop them, Sarah, Grace, and Rickie head off into town to eat and rest up a bit. Finding a spot where zoid pilots hang out doesn't take long and the group quickly start munching on their meals.

"Great, now we got a babysitter. I get the feeling he's gonna try and make soldiers out of us," Grace laments.

"There's no use crying about it. The ZBC is just worried about us, that's all. Hopefully, he can help us out in some way or another," Sarah says.

"I don't like him," Rickie notes, chewing on a burger.

"Well, you'll have to get used to him. You'll be seeing more of these guys around as things start getting more serious," Sarah says.

"Sarah? Is that you?" they hear and look to see Leon Toros and Naomi Fluegel approaching them. "Fancy seeing you guys here. It's been a while," Leon says.

"Leon, Naomi, good to see you guys," Sarah replies.

"No way. Leon Toros and Naomi Fluegel. You guys are legends!" Rickie cheers, almost like a fan boy.

"Who's this?" Naomi asks.

"This is Rickie. He and his older brother, Sky, are members of our team," Grace answers.

"Was he the one piloting that Pteramander?" Leon asks.

"Yeah, they joined our team not too long ago after their old team went belly-up," Grace says.

"Well, he can at least handle himself in combat. That's for sure," Leon notes.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Naomi asks.

"Well, we're trying to figure out what to do next basically," Sarah replies.

The team scoot over so their friends can sit down with them.

"I saw your last battle. Your Geno Storm-Blade is powerful. I never imagined it would become so much stronger than the Geno Ritter. Where'd you find the parts for something like that?" Leon asks.

"We had some help. Though, we won't be participating in any zoid battles right now, with things as they are," Sarah notes.

"I can't blame ya. These attacks by this Nexus group or whatever have people on edge. And because of all the recent casualties, most zoid battles are suspended until further notice. They've hit the lower ranks pretty hard, and now most are too afraid to go out and risk getting ambushed," Naomi says.

"Well, at least they haven't attacked you guys yet, it seems. I was kind of worried since you're still in class B," Leon says. The members of Team Lockhart look between each other with worry, which Leon and Naomi notice. "What is it?" Leon asks.

"Well, the thing is..." Rickie begins.

…

"So, that wasn't their main base then. It would've been nice if we could've ended things now, but it seems like this is going to be a long battle," Roderick notes as he speaks with Colt and Sky.

"They're continuing their experiments with the Z-link system, but so far the only one that is compatible with it on their side is the Geno Scissors pilot. The one we fought with at the base only lasted a few minutes before he went into a frenzy. But, that's not necessarily a good thing," Colt explains.

"I'm inclined to agree with you. If a zoid with the Z-link system were to go crazy near or in a populated area, the casualties would be extensive. We haven't had any reports of such occurrences yet, so they may still be unable to use it in greater numbers right now. That gives us a window at least to prepare a counteroffensive, but I don't know how long it will last," Roderick notes.

"Well, we can't just sit on our butts and do nothing. In case you didn't notice, lives are at stake here," Colt says.

"Of course, I noticed. But, we need to play this tactfully. If we show our hand too soon, we risk losing the whole game. Nexus has only played a few cards, but not their trump card. Once we figure out what that is, then we can strike. So, the next time you guys go on one of your little escapades, be sure to include me and the ZBC in on it, you understand?" Roderick asks.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, understood, 'Sir'," Colt replies with mock salute before walking off with Sky. Roderick just groans before going his own way back to the institute. "You could've jumped in any time, Sky," Colt says.

"Why bother," Sky replies. Colt sighs. "The Spy?" he asks.

"Wondering why I didn't mention it? Or why I didn't say anything about Hunter Krato?" Colt asks, and Sky nods. "We still have no idea who the spy in the ZBC is. The only people I know for sure aren't the spy are our team and the Chief himself. And as much as I hate to admit it, the former Backdraft Group guys are clear, too. But what about the rest of the organization? Until we know who, we keep all this between us. Besides... I never liked the guy. Never knew how to cut loose and just enjoy life for once," Colt explains.

"I can see that," Sky replies.

Colt sighs again and rests his hands behind his head, "You know, Sky, we've really got to work on your lack of speech problem. It wouldn't kill you to say more than syllables," Colt notes, but Sky pretty much ignores him.

…

"You're saying that you been going after Nexus, and that you're working for the ZBC?" Naomi asks.

Sarah and her friends decided to tell Leon and Naomi about what they've really been up to lately. The way things are looking right now, they aren't going to solve it by themselves, and they need all the help they can get.

"Yeah. The reason why I wasn't in that one battle a while back was because they attack us and destroyed Geno. But we had help from the ZBC and were able to download his memories into a new body, and then upgraded it into the Geno Storm-Blade. They come after us on more than one occasion, and we've fought against them several times now. We also know why there doing all of this," Sarah explains.

"Why?" Naomi asks.

"They want to start a war. Their leader, Kaiser, wants to bring the wars from long ago back to the present, where zoids were used as weapons of war, and not in the zoid battles that we know and love today. He believes that we've lost our way, and that he's going to fix it. He'll use anyone, and kill anyone, to achieve his goals. Even his own people are seen as nothing but pawns to be taken off the board when they were no longer useful to him. He's even destroyed an entire village, with all of the innocent people inside it, just to make a statement to us because we were interfering with his plans. We're not supposed to be telling any of this to you guys, but we can't fight this battle on our own. And I wanted you to at least be aware of the situation. They haven't gone after the high-ranking teams yet, but that may not be the case tomorrow or in the near future. We're running out of time, and out of options," Sarah explains.

Naomi and Leon remain silent for a few moments.

"...I never thought it was this bad. I thought they were just some supped of bandits going around, causing chaos. This is even worse than the Backdraft Group," Naomi says.

"Nexus has even kidnapped people as well. There's this one pilot, we believe his name is Hunter Krato, who's family was attacked, his parents killed, and him taken and forced to fight for them. During one battle against them, he sent us a coded message saying who he was, that he was forced to fight, and that there's a spy in the ranks of the ZBC," Grace adds.

"They even kidnapped people. This is turning into the chaotic century all over again," Leon mutters with worry.

"We're trying to find Hunter Krato and free him from their grasp, and also trying to figure out who the spy is, but so far we haven't had any luck in either field. We've kept a few things from the ZBC so the spy doesn't learn about it, but we're telling you guys this because one, you're not ZBC, and two, we trust you. We need help. We can go around, taking down the grunts and the foot soldiers all week long, but that won't stop whatever their endgame is. That one base we took down, well Kaiser didn't really care about it. He said that it was 'losing its value' so to speak. They been planning this for years, using the conflict between the ZBC and the Backdraft Group to give them the time they need to build up their forces, while the rest of us exhaust ourselves. We can't keep doing this forever," Rickie says.

"They're escalating. Before, they were just attacking zoid teams, but now they're killing them and innocent civilians that can't even defend themselves. Soon enough, they're gonna get bold enough to attack ZBC HQ an the high-ranking zoid teams, and then it'll be an all-out war, which is exactly what they want. Please, we won't force you into this, but we're asking: will you help us?" Sarah asks.

Leon and Naomi stare at each other for a few moments, a silent conversation between the two teammates, and then they look back to Sarah's group.

"What do you need us to do?" Leon asks.

"Wait, you mean you'll help us?" Rickie asks, a little surprised.

"We can't just sit back and do nothing while all this madness continues to spread. We may not be soldiers, but people like us are the only ones that can stop this chaos. Besides, we consider you guys our friends, and anyone that messes with our friends has to deal with us. We'll help you?" Leon says.

The three youngsters smile at that, "Thanks you guys. We really appreciate it," Sarah replies.

"Okay, with that out of the way, what's the plan?" Naomi asks.

"We need information. That base we hit ended up being a dead-end besides taking down some more of their forces. Another issue is that they've come after Sarah and Geno in the past, so there's a chance they'll try again. They have their own Whale Kings and some kind of stealth tech that prevents the ZBC from tracking them, similar to the former Backdraft Group. Most of the time, they've come at us, not the other way around. The ZBC has tried capturing their soldiers, but every time they do, the soldiers kill themselves so they won't talk. I don't know if it's out of loyalty, fear, or both," Grace notes.

"If we could just figure out where they're coming from, or where they're getting all this firepower, then we could strike them at one of their weak points, make it easier to take them down," Rickie adds.

"We also need to find Hunter Krato. If we could get him away from Nexus, then maybe we could convince him to help us out and tell us where their real hideout is," Sarah notes.

"You said this guy was kidnapped by Nexus and is being forced to fight for them. Is there a chance that there are other people that have been kidnapped like him?" Naomi asks.

"There's a chance that's the case, but it's hard to think about that sort of thing when your life is on the line. However, when they kidnap people, I think they look for specific individuals. For the Z-Link system," Grace says.

"The Z-Link system?" Naomi asks.

"It's a special system that connects the pilot's mind with the zoid's, increasing the performance of the zoid immensely. However, it can only work with people who are compatible to the system, though we don't know what exactly makes someone compatible. Geno has that same system. It took a little work, but I was able to be compatible with it, and it made us stronger in battle. However, we only use it as a last resort. Hunter Krato piloted a custom zoid known as a Geno Scissors that also possessed this system. We believe that Nexus created this system to improve their forces, and searched for people that could use the system. If you're deemed incompatible, it will make you go crazy or kill you. So far, Hunter and I are the only people that are compatible," Sarah explains.

"That's basically all we know right now. We're out of leads at the moment, and if we don't get a plan together soon, more people are gonna die," Grace says.

"Okay, so again, what do you want us to do?" Leon asks.

"I know it isn't right for me to ask this, but we need you to be bait. Eventually, they'll come after the teams in class A. If possible, we need you to see if you can get any information out of them before they try something. Also, warn any of the other class A teams that you're friends with about them. At least, they'll have a better chance of surviving if they know what's coming. The more we know, the more allies on our side, the better. The ZBC has been trying to keep this under wraps, but that's not going to work anymore," Sarah explains.

"Okay, we'll see what we can do. And we know a few people that may be able to help, too. Thanks for giving us the heads up, and for trusting us with all of this," Leon says.

With that, Leon and Naomi take their leave, leaving Sarah and her friends asking the same question they've been asking all day: what do we do now?

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Sarah tells Leon and Naomi the truth about Nexus, gaining new allies in their fight. Meanwhile, Roderick joins the team, much to their annoyance. Whether or not their allies will be able to help remains to be seen. Will Sarah and her friends figure out a way to stop Nexus? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	30. Chapter 30: Bounty

**Here we are at Chapter 30. The team is in a slump, but maybe they can find a way to get back in the saddle and find out more about Nexus. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 30. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 30: Bounty**

After getting their zoids repaired in town, Team Lockhart don't take long before they head out back on the road. With the zoid battles on mostly lockdown, their travel plans don't have as many destinations. What's more, they got Lt. Roderick with them as well.

"Remind me again why we aren't heading for the nearest ZBC base?" Roderick asks.

"Because that will make it less likely that they'll attack us. You wanted us as bait, remember. And their last attack on a ZBC base didn't go so well, so they won't as bold in that regard. We took out one of their manufacturing bases, and a good number of their soldiers, but we don't know how many more there are. So, while we're still acting as bait, we'll look for more of those bases and take them out. The less resources they have, the better," Sarah explains, standing behind Sky who pilots the Hover Cargo.

"And you didn't think to inform the chief of this beforehand?" Roderick asks.

"Hey, if you want to tell him, go right ahead. We're still doing our mission, but in our own way," Colt waves him off.

"Agent Wilson, need I remind you that you work for the ZBC, as does the rest of you. There is such a thing as protocol here," Roderick reminds them, annoyed.

"And the last time I checked, you assigned me to be a part of Team Lockhart. Well, Team Lockhart works WITH the ZBC, not for them. They're not getting paid for all these extra hours after all," Colt replies, smirking.

Roderick grits his teeth a bit, "Will you at least tell me that you have a destination in mind?" he asks, annoyed.

"Not exactly," Grace replies offhandedly, making Roderick sigh.

"We're heading southeast for right now. Maybe we'll find something along the way, or maybe we'll be out in the open long enough for the Nexus to attack us again. If not, we'll stop by the nearest town and try and gather some intel there," Rickie says.

"Ugh, whatever. Just be sure to inform me about any changes. I'll brief the chief on this matter," Roderick says and leaves the control room.

"Man, he's annoying. How can you stand working for this guy?" Grace asks Colt.

"By making sure I never take any promotions for the higher ranks, and always staying out in the field as long as possible so I can hear him as little as possible," Colt replies.

"That's actually pretty smart, even for you Colt," Grace jokes.

"Hey!" Colt retorts.

"Enough guys," Sarah tells them.

"So, where are we heading exactly?"

"There's a place known as Bates Town, but it's more commonly known as the Merchant City. Lots of merchants, junk dealers, and other zoid enthusiasts come through there. And I happen to know a guy there that might have some intel for us," Colt explains.

"This guy wouldn't to have some kind of criminal record, would he?" Grace asks, narrowing her eyes at Colt.

Colt scratches his head, "What?! No, of course not. I mean, he's... not a serial killer if that's what you're asking," he replies, but now everyone stare at him. "Okay, yeah he's done some time, but he's a decent enough guy. You can at least trust that his intel is legit," he says.

"Well, it's better than nothing. We should be there in a few days," Sarah says.

…

Two days later, the Hover Crago nears Bates Town around noon, finding scores of transports, from other Hover Cargos to Gustavs, to regular vehicles, and even a few flying transports as well, coming in and out of the town.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about this place being a merchant hub," Grace notes in slight awe.

"I told you. You can find almost anything here. But, just to be safe, keep the zoids in the Hover Cargo and on lockdown. Grace, you and Rickie stay here and watch our equipment. The rest of us will head out," Colt says.

"What about Roderick?" Sarah asks.

"Oh, I have an idea for that," Colt smirks.

The team enter the town and keep their Hover Cargo at the zoid institute and leave Grace and Rickie there.

"What are we looking for here?" Roderick asks.

"Supplies. You can find almost anything here," Sarah says as they walk on ahead.

Roderick catches up with them, "Need I remind you that we are on an important mission. We don't have time to go shopping," he says.

"That's precisely why we're here," Colt says, noticing the large number of people walking throughout the streets, and all the vendors around them.

"What, exactly, are we looking for here?" Roderick asks.

But, before anyone can answer him, he gets sidelined by one vendor selling zoid part schematics.

"Hey there, mister. You interested in zoid schematics for parts. I've got quite a good deal on items for Zaber Fangs, Iron Kongs. I even have a schematic on some parts for a Raynos if you're interested," the merchant asks him, getting in his way.

"I'm not interested. Now, please, move aside," Roderick tells the man, irritated already.

Sarah nods to Colt, and he uses this chance to silently slip away in the crowd, while the rest wait for Roderick.

"Oh, you drive a hard bargain. Okay, I'll throw in a 15% discount, just for today only," the vendor continues.

"I told you to get out of my way!" Roderick yells, and pushes the man aside.

"Well, that takes care of one issue," Sarah mutters to Sky, who just nods.

"My word, it's amazing that any business gets done in a place like this," Roderick notes as he joins them, but then notices that Colt has disappeared. "Where is Agent Wilson?" he asks, looking around.

"When to find some parts for his zoid. Come on, we'll meet back up with him later. I'm getting hungry," Sarah says and walks on ahead, with Sky right behind her.

"But, shouldn't we be looking for him?" Roderick asks as he follows.

"He's one of your guys, remember? I'm sure he'll be fine," Sarah notes, making Roderick grit his teeth again.

They continue on, looking for a place to eat. Meanwhile, Sky hops into an old junk dealer's shop, walking straight to the back, and out the back door, only to find a man wearing a black and blue scarf around his neck, concealing half of his face, with shaggy black hair, black pants, a jacket with ripped-up sleeves, and a gray undershirt.

"Joe," Colt says, leaning on the back wall next to the man, with his arms crossed.

"Wilson," the man named Joe replies, in the same position.

"So, what have you got for me?" Colt asks.

"Listen, this intel wasn't exactly easy to get. I had to risk my hide just to get something of value," Joe says.

"And I told you that you still owed me one for getting you out of that jam with the ZBC a while back, and I'm calling that favor in. So, as far as I'm concerned, you've already been paid in full. I'm not even taking into account that time I got you out of a jam with those bandits a while back, either. Now, give me the info," Colt tells him.

Joe sighs, "Fine, fine. I couldn't find anything out about the leader of that Nexus group. However, I did learn a few other things," Joe says.

"Such as?" Colt replies.

"Well, those black Whale Kings of theirs, they always take different routes, but they all up going south, really south. Beyond the continent are some small islands, but no one's ever seen a Whale King flying around there," Joe explains.

"Okay, what about their spy in the ZBC?" Colt asks.

"Not much there. Only a few rumors about that they've had a spy in the ZBC since before the Backdraft Group showed up and started making a fuss," Joe replies.

"That long?" Colt asks. He knew they must've had a spy in the organization for a while, but he didn't think it was that long. "What else can you tell me?" he asks.

"Just one other thing. I'd be careful if I were you from now on. Word on the street is that someone put a bounty on all the members of Team Lockhart recently," he says.

"What?! Who would be crazy enough to take on a job like that. Putting bounties on zoid warriors is illegal," Colt says.

"Yes, so I don't think any of the zoid teammates in class A or above will try it, and those in class B or below aren't dumb enough to try it. But bandits and criminals just might take a stab at it. What's more, the bounty is doubled if you're all brought back dead," Joe explains.

"Nexus must be behind it. We have been messing with their plans as of late. Thanks for the intel. You should lay low for a while," Colt says and walks away.

"Pfft, it ain't my life you gotta worry about," Joe replies before going his own way.

"This isn't good. I need to warn Sarah and the others, fast," Colt mutters before taking off in a run to where Sarah went.

Knowing her, she probably went with Sky to get something to eat.

…

"When are we going to find these 'supplies' of yours, exactly?" Roderick asks, sitting across from Sarah and Sky, the former munching on a sub.

"After we eat. You don't travel much, do you?" Sarah asks after swallowing some of her meal.

"When I'm ordered to, or when necessary. It's all a part of my duties," Roderick replies, not bothering to eat anything.

"Well, welcome to the world of zoid warriors," Sarah notes, before noticing a few other patrons staring at them for a few seconds and then turning away.

"What is it?" Sky asks.

"I think some of the people here are just creeped out by an official from the ZBC showing up. I bet some of them even think that we're his kids... That tasted awful to say," Sarah says, muttering the last part.

"I don't have children," Roderick says.

"I was trying to make a joke. Come on, let's finish up here and get what we need before heading out," Sarah says.

They finish their meal (well, Sky and Sarah do since they actually ordered something to eat), and then hit the commerce market. They actually did need to pick up a few things while they were here anyway. Sky finds a few data components for his zoid's radar equipment, and Sarah found a part for radiator in Grace's Spinosapper. Due to the Geno Storm-Blade being one of a kind, they could only get parts for that zoid from Sarah at the ZBC. After getting everything that they need, the group make their way back to the Hover Cargo.

"We actually got some good finds here. We may have to come back here some time, after this whole chaos with Nexus has been dealt with," Sarah notes, carrying one bag in her arms.

"Excuse me, but why am I carrying this stuff?" Roderick asks, carrying three bags in between his arms.

"If you're gonna be travelling with us, then you'd better pull your own weight," Sarah notes.

"But Mr. Faust isn't carrying anything!" Roderick points out, nudging his head to Sky, who doesn't have any bags in his hands.

"That's because he's our security. He needs his hands," Sarah replies.

They continue walking through the streets, squeezing their way through the crowd as it starts to build up. As they try to make their way through, Sky glances to the side, seeing some shady characters with leather jackets with torn sleeves, and punk-style haircuts eyeing them like a dog would do to a bone. He gets right behind Sarah, making sure not to get separated from her. He glances to the right, finding three more people staring at his leader. Roderick lags behind a bit, but is still in view. The shady people start moving in, going in different directions as they get closer to Sarah and Sky.

"Be ready," Sky whispers to Sarah.

"Huh?" Sarah utters.

Just then, one goon makes a grab for Sarah from her side, only for Sky to grab his outstretched left arm, and make an elbow shot to his face, breaking his nose. He follows it up by smashing his elbow on the man's arm, snapping his elbow in the wrong direction. The man screams in pain and falls to the ground. Two more attack, but Sky sees them coming. They throw punches at him, but he grabs them in his hands and pulls both men into each other, smashing their bodies together. He then kicks them to the ground. Sarah looks back to see a fourth guy come at her from behind, but she pulls out one of the parts she bought, wielding it like a bat, and swings away, nailing the guy in the face. He clutches his face, and she swings again at his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and giving Sky the chance to punch him to the ground.

"Who the Hell are these guys?!" Sarah yells as she looks at the unconscious thugs on the ground.

"No one good," Sky replies.

"What are you two doing?" Roderick asks as he finally catches up to them.

"We need to leave, now!" Sarah orders and they make a run for it. Along the way, they bump into Colt. "Colt, we need to get back to the others! I'll explain later," Sarah says, not stopping.

Colt keeps up, "I know. Someone put a bounty on our heads. I'll bet it was Nexus, but I didn't think anyone would go for it this quickly. Must be pretty high," Colt says.

"A bounty?! When?!" Sarah asks.

"I don't know!" Colt replies.

They eventually return to the Hover Cargo, pill in, and head for the control room where Rickie and Grace are.

"Whoa, where's the fire guys?" Rickie asks.

"We have to leave, NOW!" Sarah yells.

With no time to ask why, Rickie gets the Hover Cargo started up and they leave the city.

"We should head to our zoids. Sky, get into the air and scout around for us," Colt says.

Sky nods as he, Colt, Grace, and Sarah move to the hanger where their zoids are. They all strap in, and Rickie gets the catapult ready for Sky and his Pteramander.

"Alright, you're all set, big bro," Rickie says.

"Let's fly," Sky mutters and the catapult launches his zoid into the air, to which he flies even higher to scout around while not being seen.

"Can someone explain to me what is going on now?" Roderick asks from the control room.

"Looks like some people put a bounty on us, and now some thugs are here to try and collect on it. The key word is 'try'," Colt replies.

"What?! Why is it we can never get any kind of peace whenever we go somewhere new?" Grace notes.

"A bounty huh. I kind of like it. Makes us popular in a way," Rickie jokes.

"This isn't the time, Rickie," Sarah says. "Sky, anything to report?" she calls out.

"Large zoid group ahead," Sky reports.

Sarah brings it up on screen, finding a total of twelve Gordos zoids in front of them, waiting to attack.

"Ugh, they must have had other guys waiting for us in case the ones in town failed. Let's make this quick," Grace says.

The three warriors launch their zoids into the battle, and the Geno Storm-Blade and Bravejaguar quickly take off towards the enemy zoids, with the Spinosapper behind them. The Gordos fire off their laser guns, forcing them to scatter, but the Geno Storm-Blade continues to charge ahead. The enemy fires again, but Sarah's partner flies right through them. Activating its sub-arms, the Geno Storm-Blade flies by and slices the legs off of two Gordos, followed by swinging around and firing off its laser cannons, taking out two more. Just as the other Gordos turn around to attack, the Bravejaguar jumps up and clamps its jaws down on the neck of one Gordos, crushing it and breaking the head off. It then fires off its twin laser cannons, taking out two more. The remaining five attack again, but two of them get blasted from behind by the Spinosapper's missile launchers. The remaining three try to make a break for it, but are stopped when the Geno Storm-Blade jumps up and lands right in front of them. The two on the side are quickly cut down by the Bravejaguar's claws and the Spinosapper's chainsaws, leaving the lone Gordos all by itself.

"This can't be right. We had them outnumbered... and they cut us down in seconds," the pilot gasps, shaking in his boots.

The Geno Storm-Blade quickly finishes it off with one clean swing to slash off its front legs.

"Man, that was way too easy," Grace notes.

"These guys aren't with Nexus. They're probably just some bounty hunters or common criminals looking for a quick score. So disappointing," Colt adds.

"Sky, return to the Hover Cargo. We're done down here," Sarah calls out.

…

The leader of the group is tied up outside the Hover Cargo, while the rest of his goons are also tied up, but are all unconscious, either from the battle or when Sky knocked them out with his fists. The leader has dirty brown hair, a vest over a sleeveless shirt and leather pants and boots.

"Alright, start talking. Who hired you?" Sarah interrogates him.

"Heh, you won't get me to say anything," the pilot retorts.

"...Geno, you hungry?" Sarah calls out, and her partner steps up behind her, growling while showing its teeth. "He hasn't had any humans to eat in a while, so he's pretty hungry. I'd start talking if I were you, unless you want to be on today's menu," Sarah threatens him.

The man starts shaking and almost pisses himself as Sarah's partner leans closer to him.

"O-Okay, okay, okay! We were informed about a bounty placed on you guys and learned that you were in town nearby. We already had friends there, but when we learned about it, we came running for a piece of the action. We weren't that far away anyway," the man answers.

"How high is the bounty?" Grace asks.

"50,000. 10,000 for each member. Told it would be doubled if you were all brought back dead," the man replies."

"That's it? I'm actually insulted. That's dirt cheap for someone like me," Colt mutters in annoyance.

"Okay, next question. Who placed the bounty on us?" Sarah asks.

"Don't know. Never saw the guy's face. It was done over communications, but he had his face blacked out so we couldn't see it. All I know is that it was a dude. That's it. That's all I know, I swear!" the man replies.

Sarah stares at him, "...Alright, I believe you. Sky," she says and Sky punches the guy in the face, knocking him out.

"Well, our situation just got a whole lot more difficult now. How are we supposed to get anything done when we have to keep looking over our shoulders for not just Nexus, but criminals and bounty hunters now?" Grace asks.

"We'll figure it out. Right now, we still need to figure out our next move," Sarah says.

"I already informed the local authorities about these criminals. They'll be here shortly to pick them up.

"Well, with that out of the way. I think I have an idea about where to go to next," Colt says.

"And that would be?" Sarah asks.

Colt smirks, "Have you ever been to the tropics?" he asks.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. A bounty has been placed on Team Lockhart, making things much harder for them now. Meanwhile, Colt has info about a possible Nexus location somewhere deep south from them. Could it be another clue or Nexus base for them to take out? And how will they handle this whole bounty business? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	31. Chapter 31: Out of the Shadows

**Here we are at Chapter 31. Let's see if the team can unlock more secrets about Nexus down south. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 31. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 31: Out of the Shadows**

The team travels south to the southern edge of the continent, where they would then travel even further to a set of small islands off the coast of the continent. Bates Town wasn't too far from the coast to begin with, so it wouldn't take too long. Luckily for them, the Hover Cargo is capable of travelling underwater, so they wouldn't have to worry about finding a way across the sea.

"We'll be arriving at the coast soon," Colt notes as he pilots the Hover Cargo.

"Are you sure your informant gave you good intel? What if he leads us to a dead end, or worse, a trap?" Grace asks.

"His intel is good. Besides, if it turns out otherwise, I'll just find him, beat him to a pulp, and then throw him in the slammer," Colt replies cheerily.

"Okay, but what about Roderick? We didn't tell him about this little trip of ours," Sarah notes.

"Better keep this in house. Besides, he's here just to babysit us. He can't say where we can and can't go. And, even if he did, I sure as Hell ain't gonna listen to him," Colt replies, earning a nod from the rest of the team.

"What do you think we'll find there?" Rickie asks.

"Who knows? Hopefully something tangible," Sarah says, and looks out the monitor to see the approaching coastline. "It's a shame that we're here on official business, and that we still have a bounty on our heads. It would've been nice to take a little short vacation at the beach," she says, sighing.

"Yeah, I could work on my tan," Grace jokes.

Rickie then gets an image in his head of seeing the girls in a pair of bikinis, and starts drooling a bit... which results in a punch to the head by his older brother.

"Ow! What did I do?!" Rickie yells.

"Being stupid," Sky replies flatly.

Just then, Roderick enters the control room, "Please tell me we're not heading south for some kind of trip to the beach. We don't have time for a vacation. Especially if what you said is true and the team has a price on its head," he asks.

"Unfortunately, no, we're here on business, not pleasure. We're heading for the islands south of here. Don't really know what's there. Probably nothing, but it's at least worth a look. If I was some kind of evil mastermind with an army at my disposal, I'd want to keep it not only hidden from the enemy, but also a good distance away to make it harder for my enemies to find them," Colt explains.

Roderick looks ahead on the monitor, "I... I see. The islands... Probably nothing there, but I suppose it's worth a look," he replies.

"Well, since we're all in agreement," Sarah says.

…

They reach the coast and then take the Hover Cargo underwater towards the islands off the coast. So far, they haven't met any kind of resistance, but whether or not that's a good thing, they'll soon find out.

"What if we get attacked underwater? Our zoids aren't exactly made for swimming," Grace asks.

"The Hover Cargo does have its own defense systems, including a few cannons and a high-powered energy shield for defense. If we get attacked, then we'll retreat and see if we can lure the enemy onto dry land. And if we do get attacked, at least it'll mean that we're in the right place," Colt replies.

"Let's hope we don't get attacked, please," Sarah says.

The Hover Cargo rolls through an underwater canyon, finding no signs of any enemy signals as they near the largest of the small cluster of islands. A total of three islands lay before them.

"You really think they have their base here?" Rickie asks.

"Even if they don't, they may have something here. One of Nexus' M. O.'s is to keep their bases and facilities in unusual places. Seems to fit to me," Sarah says.

"We'll be approaching the main island soon. Let's find a spot where we can surface and then head out in our zoids," Colt says.

After another fifteen minutes of driving, the Hover Cargo finds a spot where it can emerge from the water and move onto dry land before stopping.

"Okay, let's get moving people. Rickie, you stay here and man the Hover Cargo," Colt says.

"Roger that," Rickie gives him a mock salute.

As they leave the control room and head to the hanger, Colt stops Sky, "Hey, Sky, I need you to do me a favor," he asks.

A few minutes later, the team enter their zoids and head out to scope out the island and find something of interest there. Just then, they get a call on the comms from the Hover Cargo.

"Pardon my asking, but where is Mr. Faust?" Roderick asks.

"We told him to stay in the cockpit of his zoid. If there's some kind of bas hidden inside the island, or even beneath it, then his Pteramander won't work there. At least if we have to retreat, he can launch and clear a path for us as we approach. Just in case," Sarah explains.

"I see. Very Well. Do keep communications on and be sure to inform us of anything you find," Roderick says.

"See you guys when you get back," Rickie waves to them before the comms go off.

The zoids walk through a forest on the island, each keeping their heads on a swivel.

"You really think we'll find something here?" Grace asks.

"Hmm, Geno, what do you think?" Sarah asks her partner.

The Geno Storm-Blade looks around, growling a little low before it starts going off in one random direction.

"Hey, where are you going?" Colt asks.

"Don't ask me. I think Geno is leading us somewhere. Come on, follow the giant white dinosaur looking zoid with the multiple blade arms," Sara replies. "I trust you, Geno. Show me the way, just like before..." she mutters.

The Geno growls in reply and moves on ahead with the others right behind it. It moves its head around, almost like a bloodhound sniffing out a scent of its target, and moves further inland, towards the large mountain at the center of the island. Eventually, the group find themselves at the side of the mountain, too steep for them to climb.

"Okay, so now what?" Grace asks.

"Geno..." Sarah asks.

Her partner walks to the left, around the rock wall of the mountain. This goes on for a few minutes until it stops at one section of the wall. It then steps forth and straightens out its body, its foot clamps fold down, and it opens its mouth wide as its charged particle cannon charges up. A moment later, it fires directly at the mountain side, causing a huge explosion.

"What the Hell?!" Colt shouts.

When the dust settles, they find, to their surprise, what looks to be a large metal hallway where the stone wall once was.

"Okay, that's something," Grace notes.

"There must be something built inside the mountain. Let's take a look," Sarah says.

They move inside, travelling deeper inside. However, only a few minutes inside, and they suddenly get attacked by a large number of black Command Wolves equipped with long range rifles on their backs.

"Argh! Guess this is the welcome committee!" Grace yells.

"Come, let's smash through them, Geno!" Sarah says and charges forth.

The Geno Storm-Blade roars and flies forth, firing its laser cannons at its enemies. The pathway wide enough for zoids to travel through, but not too wide that it makes it easier for them to move to evade enemy fire. The laser cannon shots rain through the enemy zoids, while the Geno Storm-Blade narrowly flies by the incoming fire or uses its blade to block the shots. When it gets close, the Geno Storm-Blade uses its thrusters to spin around, swinging its blade like a tornado as it slices through several Command Wolves. It then clamps its jaws on the neck of another Command Wolf and tosses it into a second. The Spinosapper and the Bravejaguar come in from the Geno's rear, firing off their ranged weapons at any stragglers, taking out a few more enemy zoids. Eventually, they finish off the last Command Wolf and things are calm again.

"You guys okay?" Sarah asks.

"Yeah, we're good. You think there are more inside?" Grace asks.

"Probably. Looks like we lost the element of surprise. Come on, we need to move," Sarah says.

They move further in, taking out small pockets of resistance as they go, but so far find nothing of substantial worth for their mission. However, once they find a door leading to another room, Geno growls loudly, their sign that something lies ahead.

"Well, I'd say that if Geno is growling like that, we might have found something," Colt says.

"Let's knock and see if anyone is home," Grace suggests.

The Geno Storm-Blade fires its laser cannons, blasting through the doors, and clearing the way. Inside, they find a scene that stuns them. A giant hanger filled with soldiers, some zoids, workers, and even a large number of black Whale Kings line the center of the hanger.

"Whoa," Colt mutters.

Just then, alarms go off because of their explosive entrance, and the people inside scatter, some trying to get onto their zoids or into the Whale Kings, others finding other escape routes to get away from the destruction that's obviously about to befall them.

"What do we do?" Grace asks.

"Take out the zoids, and make sure those Whale Kings do NOT take off!" Sarah yells and has her partner jump down to begin the assault, with her teammates in tow.

Geno fires off its laser cannons at the Whale Kings, aimed at their engines and fins, anything to prevent them from getting into the air. Enemy fire comes in and Sarah looks over to see a squad of black Rev Raptors coming their way. The Geno Storm-Blade roars and charges at them. The Rev Raptors engage their curved blades, but they easily get sliced through by the Geno's more powerful blades.

"When we first started fighting these guys, they were one Hell of a challenge, but now it's been getting easier to deal with them. We certainly have grown since then, huh Geno," Sarah thinks as her partner slices through two Rev Raptors and then swings its tail to knock aside a third.

Grace and Colt join the fray, with the Spinosapper firing its missile launcher at the Whale King's thrusters, while the Bravejaguar fires its twin laser cannons with it. Their combined attacks ground three Whale Kings so far, but there are still several more that are flight capable. The main hanger doors for the Whale Kings open up, and the remaining one begin moving to escape into the safety of the skies.

"We can't let them get away!" Grace yells.

They continue firing, only to get attacked by another squad of black Rev Raptors.

"That's easier said than done," Colt grits his teeth.

The Bravejaguar runs forth to face their new enemies. The Rev Raptors engage their blades, but the Bravejaguar jumps over them when it gets close. It lands behind them and fires its twin beam cannons at the ceiling above them, causing it to break apart and fall down on top of them, taking out a few of them. Grace attack the rear when their attention is on Colt, and using her zoid's chainsaws to rip through a few more. Meanwhile, Sarah and her Geno Storm-Blade have just finished taking out the rest of the Rev Raptors attacking them, focusing back at the Whale Kings attempting to escape.

"You won't get away!" Sarah yells.

The Geno Storm-Blade sets up to fire its charged particle cannon again, aiming it at the closest Whale Kings to it. A few seconds later, it fires the charged particle cannon, taking out the thrusters of one Whale King, and then uses its thrusters to move the cannon beam towards another, destroying the thrusters on a second Whale King. With their means of propulsion destroyed, the two Whale Kings fall and crash in the hanger, causing further destruction. However, three Whale Kings manage to escape through the hanger exit and get into the skies.

"Crap, they're getting away!" Grace yells.

"Should we call Sky in on this?" Colt asks.

Sarah tries to get a message out to Sky back at the Hover Cargo, but can't get a connection going.

"They're blocking our signal somehow. We can't get a message out," Sarah says, but has to quickly move her zoid to evade a shot from another Command Wolf. "We have no choice. We'll just have to let those ones escape for now and finish off the rest here," she decides.

The Geno Storm-Blade flies in, skewering the Command Wolf with its blades and tosses it aside. The Bravejaguar and the Spinosapper fire their weapons at the defense systems on the downed Whale Kings as soon as they come online, making sure they can't get in the way. Explosions ring out across the hanger as the battle reaches its zenith, and soon enough the battle comes to an end. The team regroup and look around at the destruction they wrought.

"So, you think we actually did some damage to Nexus this time?" Colt asks.

"We took out several of their Whale Kings and more of their troops. At the very least, they can't make as many quick attacks and retreats from the air now. Let's look around and see if there is anyone who's still conscious that can give us some info about Nexus. If they're unconscious, then we'll take them with us," Sarah says.

Just then, explosions ring out across the bodies of the Whale Kings that were knocked down, and more through the hanger and beyond.

"Um, Sarah," Grace mutters with worry.

Alarms start going off through the facility.

"This place is gonna explode. We gotta get out of here, now!" Colt yells.

The team high-tail it out of the facility the same way they came in, doing their best to stay ahead of the explosions that are spreading throughout the compound.

"Why do trips to secret bases always end up like this?! Do these guys put self-destruct systems in EVERYTHING they own?!" Grace yells.

"Less talking, more running!" Colt yells back.

Luckily, the group manage to escape through the entrance they made right before a huge explosion breaks through the mountain side outside. They keep running, dodging falling debris until they feel they've reached a safe distance and look back at the fire ball they've left behind.

"So much for finding anything that we can use in there. These guys sure know how to clean up after themselves and leave nothing behind for us to grab," Colt notes.

"At the very least, we've weakened their aerial forces considerably with this raid. Come on, let's return to the Hover Cargo and decide what to do from there," Sarah says.

They return to the Hover Cargo, and Sarah tries to call up Rickie and Sky.

"Hey guys, we're back. Did anything happen while we were gone?" Sarah calls out, but receives no answer back. "Sky? Rickie?" Sarah calls out outside the Hover Cargo.

"What's going on?" Grace mutters.

"We may be walking into a trap," Colt says.

"Let's get inside and find out. Be careful guys," Sarah adds.

They make it inside the Hover Cargo since Sarah can open it up remotely through Geno, and they find Sky's Pteramander still in the hanger. The group exit their zoids, and move to his zoid's cockpit, opening it up but find no sign of Sky inside.

"Huh, where's Sky? We told him to wait in the cockpit of his zoid until we got back," Grace notes.

"Keep an eye out guys. Let's find Rickie and Sky. We may not be alone here," Colt says.

They slowly move through the interior of the Hover Cargo, finding it eerily quiet. As they move to the control room, Colt stays up front, followed by Grace, and then Sarah. Colt opens up the doors, only to find Rickie, tied to the chair and unconscious.

"Rickie!" Grace yells.

Just then, Sarah feels the barrel of a pistol touch the side of her head, and glances back to find Roderick behind her as he grabs her left arm and pulls it behind her in a vice grip.

"That's far enough!" Roderick yells, getting their attention.

Colt and Grace turn around and see Roderick has taken Sarah hostage.

"Roderick, so you ARE the spy for Nexus," Colt growls.

"I was surprised you knew about that. Guess I'm not the only one keeping secrets," Roderick notes, tightening his hold on Sarah. "No sudden moves, or Team Lockhart will be short one team leader," he warns them.

"Why are you doing this? Why help Nexus?" Grace demands.

"You think I wanted this. That Kaiser is a monster. He said he'd kill me if I didn't help him. He always knew how to find me. I had no choice," Roderick retorts.

"No choice my butt. Where's Sky?" Colt asks.

"Don't worry, fly-boy is still alive, just occupied at the moment. I'm only here for the girl and the Geno zoid. Now then, we're going to back out, nice and slow, to the hanger, and you're going to pilot your zoid to get us out of here until Nexus picks us up," Roderick tells Sarah.

They slowly back-peddle out of the control room and down towards the hanger, with Colt and Grace slowly following them, careful not to get too close lest Roderick try something.

"What do we do?" Grace whispers.

"I'll think of something. I'll I need is one opening," Colt whispers back.

"Do you really think you can get away with this? How many innocent people have been killed because you've been helping Nexus?" Sarah angrily asks him.

"It's not my fault. I told you, I never had a choice in any of this. Now shut up and be a good girl," Roderick retorts, jamming the barrel hard into her skull.

Eventually, they reach the hanger. Geno sees the scene and roars at Roderick, who manages to keep his cool despite Geno growling at him.

"Call off your pet and tell him to open up his cockpit," Roderick orders her.

"Geno... It's okay. Open up," Sarah says reluctantly.

The Geno Storm-Blade growls at Roderick, but listens to Sarah and opens up its cockpit. Roderick pulls Sarah inside and closes the cockpit while Colt and Grace can do nothing but watch.

"He's getting away with Sarah! What do we do?!" Grace asks.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Colt replies.

"What does Kaiser want with me?" Sarah asks, despite the situation she's in.

"He wants the Geno Storm-Blade and the Z-link system. You're the only one who can pilot it, so you go too," Roderick replies.

Sarah takes the controls, with Roderick sitting behind her. However...

"There's just one thing, Roderick," Sarah starts.

"And that is?" Roderick asks.

"Geno... engage Z-link system," Sarah says.

Geno activates the Z-link system, and Sarah quickly leans forward, pulling Roderick with her as the cables come out and connect with his head instead of Sarah's. The system connects, but as Sarah suspected, Roderick is not compatible, and clutches his head in pain. He drops the gun, giving Sarah the chance to grab it.

"Geno, that's enough," Sarah says, and Geno deactivates the system.

Roderick still clutches his head, but that gives Sarah the chance to knock him in the head with the side of the gun, knocking him out.

"Bastard," Sarah mutters.

The cockpit opens up, and Colt and Grace look inside to see that Sarah is okay, and Roderick is out cold.

"Sarah! Are you okay?!" Grace calls out.

"I'm good. Roderick's alive, but unconscious," Sarah replies.

And once he wakes up, they'll have some questions for him.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Team Lockhart take out a key Nexus facility, and finally manage to capture the spy, which turns out to be Roderick himself. With the spy in their hands, the team may finally be able to get some real intel on Nexus. Will they get what they need out of Roderick? What does he know about Nexus? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	32. Chapter 32: Raise the Curtain

**Here we are at Chapter 32. Now that they finally caugh the spy, let's see what Team Lockhart can get out of him. I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 32. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 32: Raise the Curtains**

"Hey, hey, wake up," Colt says as she slaps Roderick across the face twice to wake him up.

Roderick groans as he comes to, and finds himself handcuffed to a seat in the control room, with the members of Team Lockhart standing around him.

"Please, you have to listen to me, I didn't-," Roderick begins until Sarah slaps him across the face to shut him up.

"That was for threatening me and trying to kidnap me and Geno," Sarah says.

"Okay, let's try this again. First question: why were you working for Nexus, Roderick?" Colt asks.

"I told you before, I had no choice. I never wanted to work for them, but if I didn't, then Kaiser would've killed me... He'll probably still kill me now that I've been discovered," Roderick says.

"What kind of information have you been feeding them?" Colt asks.

"Listen, you have no idea who you're dealing with here. They're-," Roderick argues until Sky punches him this time.

"What have you been feeding them?" Colt asks again.

"...Positions of ZBC bases. Mostly the ones that your team have had contact with. ZBC also keeps records of all the zoid pilots and teams affiliated with the zoid battles, so I gave them information on the locations of the teams in the lower rankings. They wouldn't try to attack those in class A or higher. At least, not right now," Roderick explains.

"Okay, then how about where their main base is located? Can you tell us that?" Grace demands.

"I... I don't know where their main base is. They never told me that. If I ever had a meeting with them, it was with one of their soldiers, no one high up. Most of the time, it was through video communications on a secure channel. I rarely met with them in person," Roderick says.

"How long have you been working for them?" Rickie asks.

"For several months now. Right after the Royal Cup ended. They found me, and forced me to work for them. They knew where I lived, where I worked. There was no where I could run or hide to be safe from them," Roderick pleads.

"Okay, what was the next time you were going to meet with them? Or what is the next plan in their operation?" Sarah asks.

"The original plan was to move on to the teams in the higher ranks, and then to start attacking outer villages and towns, to stoke the flames of fear and war. However, since you attacked the hanger where they kept most of their Whale Kings, which they were planning on using for such an operation, I imagine they'll change their plans because of it. They planned on launching raids from the sky with those Whale Kings in order to make quick work of their enemies," Roderick explains.

"Well, that's at least some good news. However, a few of those Whale Kings did manage to escape. On top of that, we still have that huge bounty on our heads," Grace notes.

"You know anything about that?" Colt asks.

"The bounty? I... yes. I'm the one who posted it," Roderick confesses.

Now Grace is pissed off, "You son of a bitch! You placed a bounty on our heads, and now we got thugs and criminals after us, never mind Nexus. What the Hell?!" she yells as she grabs him by his shirt collar.

"I had no choice! Nexus wanted your team taken out of the picture, but knew they couldn't keep spending resources on one single zoid team, so they told me to put a bounty on our team. I didn't think anyone would actually go for it! I swear!" Roderick cries.

Sarah pulls Grace off of Roderick, "Next question: where is Hunter Krato?" she asks.

"The Geno Scissors pilot? I don't know, I swear. After you defeated his zoid, they took him off the front lines until they could get his next zoid ready for him. I don't know what it will be, but I imagine it will be much stronger than the last one. They wanted more data on the Z-link system for it, and that's why I tried to kidnap you. They wanted you and your zoid. However, you found one of their main bases, and screwed up their plans, so I was forced to move up the plan. You have to believe me, I never wanted any of this!" Roderick explains.

"Never wanted any of this? Innocent people are dead because of you! How many of your fellow ZBC allies are now dead because you sold them out to save your one worthless skin, huh?!" Grace yells, livid.

"I told you already, I didn't have a choice!" Roderick retorts.

"Okay, last question: when is your next meeting with them?" Colt asks.

"I don't know. They usually come to me and I try to find a spot where I can contact them without being found out. It could be tomorrow, it could be in a week. I just don't know," Roderick says.

"Okay, then maybe we can use that," Colt says.

"What?" Rickie asks.

"As far as we know, they DON'T know that we found their spy. Maybe we could use him to get more information out of them so we can start ambushing them instead of them ambushing us. We can take out bases all day, but it won't matter if they learn we're coming in advance. This way, we can turn their advantage into their disadvantage," Colt explains.

"Okay, but how exactly are we going to do that?" Sarah asks.

Colt turns back to Roderick, "As soon as they contact you with anything, you'll tell us. Now don't get me wrong, I already informed the chief about you, so you can't run from this. Especially not after everything you've done, but at least the chief won't kill you. So you have two options here: either help us and only spend life in prison without parole, or continue to help Nexus and one day have a bullet fired into your skull. Besides, once they find out you're busted, they'll come and kill you anyway. Your choice," Colt says.

"How can you possibly call those options? It's a death sentence either way!" Roderick argues.

"You want us to feed you to Geno?" Sarah threatens him.

"Look, you've got ten seconds to decide, right here and now. Ten, nine, eight, seven-," Colt counts down.

"Okay, okay, I'll help!" Roderick screams.

Colt smirks, "Good boy. Now then, think you can take that bounty off of our heads?" he asks.

"I'm afraid that may be difficult. I was able to put it up, but I'm not sure I can take it down and keep people from coming after you," Roderick says.

"Then we're pretty much looking over our heads for who knows how long. That's just perfect," Grace sarcastically notes.

"No use crying about it. We'll just have to wing it," Rickie says.

"What about him?" Sky asks, nodding to Roderick.

Colt smirks and punches him in the face, knocking him out, "That should keep him occupied for a while. I'll make sure he's got restraints on him. Also-," he says and slips a small circular device into his coat pocket. "That way, we'll always know where he is. Should he be contacted by Nexus, I'll remove the restraints in order to make it look more convincing. Also, I don't want this guy pulling a fast one on us, so I think it would be best to have either me or Sky with him at all times," Colt suggests.

"What if we end up in a battle during that time?" Grace asks.

"Then we knock him out, tie him up, and through him in a supply closet," Colt says offhandedly, causing the group to stare flatly at him.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Rickie asks.

"We keep moving. We just took out a vital part of Nexus' operations, and we still have a bounty on our heads, so we'll most likely have a lot of people coming after us. We may need to look for some back up too," Sarah says.

"I already informed the chief about the bounty. He says he'll do what he can to keep as many of these thugs off our backs, but it won't be easy. We'll still have some goons on our butts," Colt says.

"So, where do we go next? I mean, if we can even go into any town now considering..." Grace asks.

"Give me some time. I'll figure something out," Sarah says.

With that, Sky and Colt drag the sleeping Roderick to another spot in the Hover Cargo and lock him up after making sure he's tied up well enough. Meanwhile, Sarah visits Geno in the hanger.

"Hey, Geno," Sarah says, and her partner moves it head close enough for her to pet it, earning a purring noise from him. "Things are getting pretty heated right now. We'll be moving shortly. We have to watch each other's backs, and we may have some people join us on this trip for extra support. Can I count on you not to eat them?" she asks, earning a low growl from Geno. "I guess that's an 'okay', huh. Nexus may be coming after us harder now since we put a major dent in their plans, so we need to be careful, and we still have that bounty on our heads. We couldn't get much out of Roderick. Apparently, Nexus kept him on a 'need to know' basis, and he didn't know much. I hope we can catch a break soon," she says. Geno moves back and opens up its cockpit, allowing her to step inside. Sarah always did feel more comfortable when she's with her partner. "Thank you, Geno," she mutters, smiling.

…

The next day, the team are already back on the move, having made it back to the mainland and heading inland. The plan is to wait for Nexus to contact Roderick again with new orders so they can move accordingly. Just in case, they have him handcuffed to a chair and gagged so he'll keep his mouth shut until that point in time. They also made another move to contact the Fluegel Team since they told them about everything that's really going on.

"So, now there's a price on your heads? Geez, you guys sure don't disappoint, do you?" Naomi notes on her end.

"Yeah, so now we have to keep moving constantly, and be extra careful should we ever approach a town or city. We wanted to see how things were doing on your end," Grace says.

"Well, we already informed a few teams about Nexus, including the Lightning Team. Jack worked as a mercenary for hire before he joined up with them, so he knows a few people and will ask around for any info that could be useful. What do you need from us?" Leon asks.

"We'd like to meet up with you somewhere. With these past few events, I'm afraid that we'll be having a much tougher time than we originally thought in this conflict. Which is why I would like for you to give us some training," Sarah says.

"Training?" Naomi asks.

"Yes. You're probably the best team in class A, and you have more years of training and experience under your belts than us. We may be in class A, have some skills, and powerful zoids, but the fact remains that we haven't been a team for too long. We need to get stronger if we're going to stand a better chance of taking down Nexus," Sarah explains.

"Plus, it couldn't hurt to have some extra muscle on our side should Nexus attack again. With this bounty and us taking out several of their Whale Kings, I'll bet they're pretty pissed at us right now," Grace adds.

"What do you think, Leon?" Naomi asks.

"I think it's a good idea. Until this battle with Nexus is over, the zoid battles are put on hold and won't go back to normal for a while. This isn't about rising to the top of the rankings anymore. It's about staying alive and proving that the zoid battles of today are not a sham. We'll meet up with you. There's a place called Eos City located west by northwest from your position. It'll be a bit of a drive, but we can meet you there. From there, we'll find a spot to begin your training. I admit, we're not exactly teachers, but we'll do what we can to help get you into better shape," Leon says.

"Okay, Eos City it is. Thanks, you guys. We'll see you there," Sarah says and the call ends.

…

"I must admit, I didn't think you'd take them up on their idea to train them," Naomi notes.

"The last time we fought them, they were still pretty green, but since then, they've grown quite a bit. They still have a lot of untapped potential. I want to see where that potential will take them. One day, I believe they could be quite the team, and quite the challenge for us. I'm looking forward to it," Leon replies.

"Why am I not surprised?" Naomi shakes her head with a smile.

…

With the plan set, the team make their way to Eos city to meet up with the Fluegel Team. Of course, they got Roderick still tied up and gagged, occasionally taking the gag off so he can breathe and talk, or in case he says he needs to relieve himself.

"How do we know we can even trust the Fluegel Team?" Roderick asks.

"Seriously? Like you're one to talk. You want the gag back on?" Grace warns him.

"But, what if more bounty hunters are waiting for us there, or worse, Nexus is waiting for us?" Roderick asks, getting scared.

"Then we'll deal with it. Besides, with Team Fluegel with us, we'll have more powerful allies on our side. With more people gunning for us, the more danger we're in," Sarah says.

"M-Maybe we should head back to base?" Roderick suggests.

"Not happening. If we do that, then we won't meet up with Naomi and Leon, and we'll lose whatever progress we've made out here. We stay out in the field, keep moving, and take Nexus apart, piece by piece," Grace says.

"And find Hunter Krato," Sarah mutters.

"So, we're going into more danger?!" Roderick yells.

"Oh, shut up," Rickie groans.

Sky walks over and punches Roderick again, knocking his light out.

"Thank God, I couldn't take it anymore," Colt notes.

"Let's just focus on getting to Eos City. It's going to be a while," Sarah says.

…

A couple of days later, the group finally make it to Eos City. They practically drove the whole way, taking shifts with driving and keeping an eye on Roderick. He doesn't get any kind of call or message from Nexus, so they're still waiting on that front. Luckily, they don't get attacked by bandits or anything else during the trip, so that's a plus so far. Once they reach the city, they decide to leave Colt and Rickie with Roderick while Sky goes with the girls so he can protect them. While Grace argued about not needing any bodyguards, Sarah was the first one to admit that they don't know anything about self-defense, unlike Sky and Colt. Walking through the city, they notice how it appears a little more advanced and cleaner than some of the older towns they've been to.

"Where could they be? This place is pretty big," Grace asks.

"I'm kind of hoping that they'll find us. I mean, at least one of us is kind of hard to miss," Sarah says as she glances back at Sky walking behind them, taking note of how he's a head and a half taller than them.

They continue walking through town, keeping their eyes peeled for their friends. Luckily, it doesn't take long for someone to find them.

"Hey, Sarah, Grace, over here!" they hear and look to their left to see Naomi and Leon down one street. "Took you guys long enough to get here."

"Hey, guys, thanks for meeting with us," Sarah says as they approach the duo.

"Well, we have some extra time on our hands, so why not? Come on, we can talk while getting a bite to eat. Follow us," Naomi says as she and Leon lead the way.

"By the way, where's Colt and Rickie?" Leon asks.

"We'll explain that later," Grace says.

…

At a local diner, the group discuss this little joint training session of theirs over a meal.

"So, you actually found the spy right under your noses," Leon notes.

"Yes, but we haven't turned him in yet because we're hoping to use him just like Nexus is using him. If they can reveal their plan, or at least, parts of it, we can use that to our advantage. As far as we know, they don't know that he's been found out. It's time we turned the tables on them for once," Sarah explains.

"We have Colt and Rickie back at the Hover Cargo keeping an eye on him. But, let's get down to the main reason we're here. We want you to help train us so we can be better prepared for the next time we face Nexus. The fact remains, that we're not as strong or as skilled as you, and Nexus is only going to get more ferocious as time goes by. We need to be as ready as possible," Grace explains.

"Well sure, we'll help you out. We're not exactly the teaching sort, but I'm sure we can think of something," Naomi says.

"We can start tomorrow. There's a canyon not too far from the city that would a great spot for training. Sarah, you, Colt, and I will work on your training while Naomi works with Grace and Sky," Leon suggests.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Will that work for you guys?" Sarah asks her teammates.

"I'm down for it," Grace says, while Sky just nods in agreement.

Just then, Sarah gets a call on her zoid gear and pulls it up, showing Colt on the other end.

"Colt, what's up?" Sarah asks.

"It's Roderick. He just got called up by Nexus. They want him in some kind of meeting within the next couple of days. The meeting is happening in Luminos City, the city of light," Colt tells her.

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 **And that's the chapter. Sarah and the gang interrogate Roderick, but don't get too much out of him. Next, they form a group with Naomi and Leon, only to learn that their next destination for their mission is in Luminos City. What awaits them in the city of light? Will they find Kaiser or Hunter Krato there? Until then, please Read and Review.**


	33. Chapter 33: Bright or Dark?

**Here we are at Chapter 33. The gang head for Luminos City, but will their quest be so bright in the city of light? I do not own Zoids. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 33. Enjoy.**

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 **Chapter 33: Bright or Dark?**

The gang make their way to Luminos City, the tension in the air growing with each mile they get closer to their destination. The Fluegel team are right behind them for the journey.

"Okay, so what's the plan here? We walk right in and don't expect a trap or an ambush waiting for us?" Grace asks.

"There's a good chance they'll be expecting us to show up since they know that Roderick was with us when they made the call, since he's their spy. If we want to get in without raising suspicions, we'll have no choice but to head in just as they want. However, we do have a monkey wrench for their machine," Colt says.

"And by monkey wrench, you mean us, huh?" Naomi asks over the comms.

"Yes, they shouldn't expect us to have backup right with us, especially a class A zoid team as our backup. We'll have you guys nearby in case things get crazy, this way they shouldn't see you coming. The next part of the plan is tailing Roderick to where they want to meet. No offense to you guys, but you have no training in that field, and Sky, you're a good fighter, but you stick out like a sore thumb, so I'll handle that part of the plan. I want you close to Sarah in case Nexus tries to kidnap her again," Colt explains.

"Okay, what about me?" Rickie asks.

"You stay here and keep the motor running. If we need to make a quick getaway, we'll need you to facilitate it. Have our zoids ready as well. I don't want to stick around defenseless in case we have to fight our way out," Colt says.

"You really think they'll start a battle in the middle of the city with all of these civilians around?" Leon asks.

"They wiped out a village just to make a statement to us because we took out one of their bases. I don't have to be a genius to know that they'll kill anyone to achieve their goals. Which is why should that happen, we need to leave, but also keep their focus on us. The less possible destruction they cause in the city the better," Colt says.

"Okay, but what about me and Sky?" Sarah asks.

"You guys will be on the ground, keeping your eyes peeled. They may still be after you, so we can try and draw them out, and Sky can kick their butts," Colt says.

"Wait, so I'm bait?!" Sarah yells.

"What about me?" Grace asks.

"Oh, I got another idea for you, Grace," Colt says, confusing her.

…

The group arrive at Luminos City the next day, with Naomi and Leon hanging back just outside the city, hidden, while they dock at the zoids institute. The city is larger than most, and technologically more advanced. It's called the city of light because of everything that lights up in the city at night. The group heading in the city split up, with Roderick going his way with Colt not too far behind, while Sky and Sarah go off in another direction. Meanwhile, Rickie remains at the Hover Cargo, and Grace is... nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Coly, anything happen yet?" Sarah calls out over her zoid gear.

"Nothing yet. Roderick knows that he won't escape my eyes, and I made it clear that if he tries to double-cross us, that I'd feed him to Geno. He's on his way to the meeting location, but don't worry, I won't lose him. You guys just be casual until I say something," Colt replies.

"Roger that. Keep us posted," Sarah says and hangs up. "So, what should we do now? If we look like we're searching for someone, it'll look suspicious. Let's just check out the shops until something happens," Sarah says and Sky nods as they head to the merchant sector of the city.

While Sky and Sarah check out the shops, Colt keeps his eyes on Roderick. Roderick eventually turns around a corner, heading down an alley, followed by heading towards an old engineering building. Colt sticks to the shadows, watching his every move. Luckily for the good guys, Roderick is able to keep his cool for the most part. If they get found out because he buckles, it'll be a problem for the team. Roderick knocks on a door a few times and it opens up, though Colt can't see who's on the other side before Roderick heads in and the door closes. Colt curses a bit before looking around for a way to either get inside, or at least be able to see and hear what's going on inside. He looks up and smirks before moving forth, sticking to the shadows. He manages to climb his way to the upper section of the building, granting him a stable foothold to walk upon, and moves to one of the windows to peer inside. The multiple windows grant him just enough light to see inside, finding Roderick speaking to another man in black clothing, the tell-tale sign that he's Nexus.

"Kaiser is growing impatient with your incompetence, Lt. Roderick. This last attack by the Lockhart Team has delayed our plans from their intended course. Kaiser wants to know why we weren't informed before this attack occurred," the man demands.

"Look, you think they spill their whole guts to me because of my position? They attacked as soon as they acquired the information. How, I don't know, but they did. If I knew about that base beforehand, I could've done something to prevent them from attacking it," Roderick argues.

"Your job isn't to get intel from us, it's to give intel to us. Why haven't you also brought in the girl and her zoid?" the man asks.

"Because, the only way to do that is to get her alone. However, because she's the team leader, and they know that Nexus wants her, they're keeping a tight barrier around her. Even I'm not allowed near her unless there's someone else with us. I just need a little more time," Roderick retorts.

"Time isn't something the Kaiser has. No matter, you've brought Team Lockhart here. We'll take care of that objective from here on out," the man says and begins to walk away.

"But wait, what do you need me to do? Keep spying on them and the ZBC?" Roderick asks.

"No, that will not be necessary... Your usefulness is no longer required," the man says and pulls out a pistol and shoots Roderick in the head.

Colt's eyes widen at what he just saw, watching Roderick's boy fall back onto the ground, dead. Knowing that staying would be a bad idea, he quickly moves and makes a break for it to find the others and get out of the city.

"Sarah, Sky, guys! Roderick's dead! We need to leave, now!" Colt yells into his zoid gear, but he only gets static. "Guys, do you hear me?!"

…

Back with Sarah and Sky, they find themselves checking out all the shops for zoid pilots and enthusiasts, finding a few tables lying around next to a local food spot to rest. Sky decides to keep looking around while Sarah waits for him. She looks around, seeing all of the people going about their daily lives, like there isn't a crazy warmonger out there trying to fill this land with chaos. If Kaiser were to turn his attention to this place, how many would survive? Would it be wiped out just like Hunter's old village?

 _"Why must this happen? This Kaiser thinks what he's doing is right, but he can't be further from the truth. Zoid warriors battle with everything they've got to win, but no one dies in those kinds of fights. He just doesn't see it. How long before he is finally stopped?"_ Sarah wonders. However, her musing is cut short when an individual suddenly takes a seat across from Sarah at her table. "Um, this table is taken, sir," she says. The person in front of her has tanned skin with black hair that goes just past his shoulders, wearing a black leather suit with boots and a gray zipper. His eyes are brown in color. "Um, hello, can I help you?" she asks, creeped out.

"Sarah Lockhart," the young man says.

Sarah begins to inch a little but out of her chair, believing this guy could be another thug looking to cash in on that bounty on their heads.

"Who are you?" Sarah asks, tense.

"You can't stop Kaiser," the man says.

Sarah's eyes widen as realization hits her, "You're... Hunter Krato," she says, but he makes no reply, not that there's any need to. "Hunter, you don't have to do this. We can save you. I can save you. You sent that message about the spy, and we found them. I know there is good in you Hunter. I've been to your village, where Nexus attacked and killed your parents and took you away. They destroyed the village and killed everyone in it. Hunter, you don't have to keep fighting for them. Come with us and we can stop Nexus together," Sarah pleads.

"It's too late... You're too late," Hunter replies, very little emotion felt in his voice.

Suddenly, she feels the barrel of a gun touching the back of her head, "Sarah Lockhart, you're coming with us," another man says, wearing black gear like Hunter.

Sarah glances around, looking for a way out. Luckily, help comes just in the nick of time when a small table comes flying in, crashing into the guy behind her. She looks over, seeing Sky racing in. Hunter stands and pulls out a pistol to fire at Sky, but he grabs another table and uses it as a shield to block the bullets, using it to try and crash into Hunter who rolls out of the way. Hunter aims his pistol at Sky again, but Sarah hits him in the back with her chair.

"We have to go, now!" Sky yells.

"But Sky, he's Hunter Krato, the one we've been looking for. We have to help him!" Sarah argues.

"Another time, go now!" Sky leaves no room for argument and pulls Sarah by her arm.

The pair make a run for it, with Sarah glancing back to see Hunter rising back to his feet, staring back at her. Racing through the city streets, they make a break for it back to the institute where their zoids are. However, their path gets blocked by a pair of black Rev Raptors that suddenly appear, causing the people in the streets to scream and scatter in every direction.

"Oh, crap," Sarah mutters with worry.

The Rev Raptors move closer to capture them, but then suddenly the ground under their feet collapses, causing them to fall in and then Grace's Spinosapper breaks through the ground right behind them.

"Surprise, boys!" Grace calls out and her partner roars as it slices through her surprised enemies with its chainsaws. "I had a feeling something was up, so I decided to move up my part of the plan a bit since I couldn't contact you guys. Come on, get to the Hover Cargo, I'll cover you!" Grace calls out.

"Thanks Grace!" Sarah replies and they continue their run to safety, with Grace right behind them. Along the way, they meet up with Colt, who's also running for his life. "Colt, where have you been?! Do you have any idea what's going on?!" Sarah asks.

"I tried calling you guys, but I think they're jamming out comms. Listen, Roderick is dead, they killed him," Colt says.

"What?" Sarah yells.

"You heard me, and now they're trying to take us out. We need to get out of the city, now!" Colt says.

They manage to make it back to the Hover Cargo, but find several destroyed Rev Raptors scattered around it, with Geno right in the middle of the massacre. Looks like they tried to attack their base as well. Luckily, Geno is capable of fighting, even without its partner with it.

"Geno!" Sarah yells.

The Geno Storm-Blade roars as its partner returns. It opens up its cockpit for Sarah to quickly get inside, while Sky and Colt head inside the Hover Cargo to get into their zoids.

"About time you guys showed up! I've been trying to call you to tell you that we've been made!" Rickie says from the command center.

"Yeah, we noticed, just get the catapult for our zoids ready and gets us out of here!" Colt yells.

The boys get into their zoids as the Hover Cargo moves out of the city, with Sarah and Grace on its flanks. They keep moving, only to find a black Whale King appearing from beyond he clouds.

"Oh, now it's a party," Colt mutters, groaning.

The Whale King lowers itself closer to the ground and opens its mouth, allowing a single large zoid to jump out and land onto the ground with a thunderous crash. When the dust settles, they find the zoid to be a black and white Gojulas Giga. The Giga has thrusters on the sides of its legs and back of them. The tail ends in two curved, sharp blades, with shorter sharp spines littered along the tail. On the back is a backpack with additional thrusters and a pair of sub-arms equipped with buzzsaw blades similar in design to the those of the Spinosapper. Within its jaws is a modified charged particle cannon. On the main arms are a small pair of cannons. The Gojulas Giga turns its head towards them and roars.

"What the Hell is that?!" Grace yells.

"It's a... Gojulas Giga! But, that's impossible! Those things shouldn't even exist anymore!" Rickie shouts.

"This is... the Gojulas Omega," Hunter replies.

"Rickie, launch us now!" Colt yells.

Meanwhile, the Geno Storm-Blade stands ready to face this new threat, roaring in challenge.

"You won't escape this time," a male voice calls out.

Sarah recognizes the voice as her screen pops up, showing none other than Hunter Krato's face.

"Hunter... Why are you doing this? Why help the people that killed your parents?!" Sarah asks.

"Kill or be killed. There is... no choice," Hunter replies.

The Gojulas Omega makes the first move by firing off the cannons on its arms, forcing the Geno Storm-Blade to fly across the ground to evade them. Geno fires back with its laser guns, but the Gojulas activates an energy shield to block the attack. Meanwhile, the Hover Cargo launches the Pteramander and the Bravejaguar to link up with the Spinosapper and help Sarah. However, they find their path blocked by a several Rev Raptors on the ground and several Redlers in the air.

"Ugh, not this crap again!" Colt yells.

"Out of our way!" Grace shouts as her partners fires off its missile launchers.

Sky flies his Pteramander through the clouds, with the Redlers hot on his tail. He purposely cuts off the engines and begins to fall, allowing the Redlers to close in. But, this is a ruse as he turns around, firing off his flamethrower to take out two of them, while the claws on the feet grab and rip through a third before he engages the thrusters again and flies away. Back on the ground, Sarah and her partner race across the desert floor as they get closer to their opponent. When they do, the Geno Storm-Blade swings its right blades at it, only for the Gojulas Omega to swings its tail around, blocking the attack and pushing the Geno Storm-Blade back a bit. It brings out its buzzsaw blades and swings them down on its enemy. Geno counters with its blades and the two attacks clash, but the Gojulas Omega has superior strength and pushes the Geno back. It roars as it aims its cannons at Sarah and her partner, but they jump back at the last second before it fires and land a safe distance away.

"Hunter, listen to me! There's always another way. You always have a choice. Kaiser took your childhood from you. Don't let him take the rest of your life as well!" Sarah pleads.

"No choice... Must hunt," Hunter replies, his voice sounding so dead, almost devoid of life. "Engage... Z-link system."

The Gojulas Omega engages the thrusters along its body and chases after the Geno Storm-Blade as the pilot becomes one with it, roaring into the air.

"Crap, fine then. Geno, Z-link system!" Sarah yells.

Geno roars as their minds become one and charges at the Gojulas. When they get close, the Gojulas swings its tail around, but the Geno Storm-Blade jumps over the swing. The Gojulas swings its buzzsaw blades around, but the Geno blocks them with its blades as the two zoids go past each other. They come back around, with the Gojulas firing off its cannons again, but the Geno evades them. Geno counters with more shots from its laser guns, but the Gojulas blocks them with its energy shield. Both then engage leg clamps on their legs and open their mouths, preparing to fire their charged particle cannons.

"Hunter, please, don't make me do this. I don't want to kill you!" Sarah pleads one more time.

"...Then you will die," Hunter replies coldly.

"Not if I can help it!" they hear a voice ring out, just before a random shot hits the Gojulas Omega in the left side, stopping it from firing its particle cannon.

They look over, seeing Naomi in her red Gun Sniper, "Be a real shame to have my student killed before I start training her," Naomi notes.

"Don't start the party without me," Leon says as his Blade Liger races through the battlefield, taking out several Rev Raptors with a combined assault of his blades and his shock cannon.

Naomi fire her sniper cannon again, taking out two more, giving Grace the chance to have her Spinosapper finish off a third, while the Bravjaguar uses the chance to get some distance between them.

"Looks like we showed up just in time," Leon notes.

"Leon, Naomi!" Sarah cheers.

The Whale King moves in, but Sky and his Pteramander fire their laser cannons, damaging its weapons before flying by, having already taken care of the remaining Redlers in the sky. With most of their forces taken out, and Sarah's backup showing up, the Whale King quickly lands and opens its mouth for Hunter's zoid to enter before it can be stopped, and takes off back into the air.

"Should I follow?" Sky asks.

"No, don't be crazy. We just barely made it out of this one. Come back Sky," Sarah says as she watches the Whale King fly off into the skies. "Hunter... what are they doing to you to make you do this?" she wonders.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. The mission doesn't go as planned as not only is Roderick killed, but now Sarah finally meets Hunter Krato and his new zoid, the Gojulas Omega. Now it seems like they're back to square one or even worse with this new threat. Will Sarah get through to Hunter? Or will the next time they meet, only one will walk away? Until then, please Read and Review.**


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